Aaron Gordon might want a refund from the basketball gods after Game 7 — or at least a second opinion from a college ref.

In the most chaotic game of the season, the Denver Nuggets were steamrolled by the Oklahoma City Thunder, and right in the thick of it all was AG, battling on one leg, throwing elbows (literally), and now staring down the barrel of a potential $2,000 fine. According to ESPN’s broadcast crew, that fine might’ve been avoidable — if only the NBA had a little more March Madness in its rulebook.

Early in the third quarter, the Thunder were cooking like prime 2017 Warriors. Then came The Elbow. Gordon, trying to pass the rock to Jokic, caught Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the face with a stiff-arm that would’ve made Charles Oakley proud. Refs called it a Flagrant 1. Two free throws. OKC ball. Basically, a four-point swing faster than a Klay Thompson heat check.

But here’s where it gets juicy. ESPN’s broadcast team went full debate mode. “You should be allowed your cylinder,” one announcer argued, channeling the spirit of Bill Raftery. Another said, “I 100% agree. Players lead with their face because they know a slight elbow means it’s on you.”

Translation? In college hoops, Gordon’s move is just Tuesday. In the NBA? It’s wallet damage. Before the elbow drama, Gordon had been doing the dirty work. Through 24 minutes, he put up: 8 points, 11 rebounds (including 4 offensive boards — workhorse energy). A perfect 3-for-3 at the line and… 4 turnovers (yikes).

His +/- was a -9, which honestly felt generous considering the Nuggets were down 34 at one point. But Gordon was out there with a strained hamstring, throwing his body around like it was the 2021 playoffs again. One-legged AG still had more hustle than some teams’ entire benches.

The No-Call That Had Adelman Fuming

Let’s rewind to the second quarter. AG was on the floor after a clear collision with Jalen Williams while chasing a steal. Everyone in the arena expected a whistle. The refs said nope. Caruso grabbed the ball and dunked like it was a free fast-break coupon. ESPN’s crew summed it up perfectly: “David Adelman upset, as is Gordon, who thought there should have been a foul called.”

Spoiler alert: He was right.

And it wasn’t the only missed call. Jamal Murray also got bodied by Caruso earlier with no whistle. Maybe Denver should’ve hired Scott Foster on a 10-day…

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Denver got bodied. OKC went on a 39-20 run in the second quarter alone. Shai dropped a casual 35 points on 63% shooting, because apparently he thought it was an All-Star Game. Jalen Williams added 24, and even Cason Wallace caught a body — dunking on Jokic like it was NBA Street Vol. 2.

The Nuggets? They shot 39.3% from the field and 22.2% from deep. That’s uglier than Shaq’s free throw form. Denver had 22 turnovers compared to OKC’s 9. That’s not just sloppy — that’s JR Smith meme-level decision making.

Say what you want, but Aaron Gordon didn’t go down easy. In a game where Jokic looked rattled, Murray couldn’t find the rim, and the whole team played like they were allergic to basketballs, Gordon kept swinging. Was the elbow intentional? Doesn’t seem like it. Was it a foul? Probably. But was he trying to keep his team alive when the storm was already flooding the boat? Absolutely.

Will Aaron Gordon have to cough up $2,000? Probably. Will he care? Probably not. In a do-or-die game, AG gave everything he had — one hamstring, one elbow, and one message: he wasn’t going out soft.