There’s Game 7 basketball… and then there’s whatever the Oklahoma City Thunder thought they were doing on Sunday afternoon. In the ultimate showdown with a trip to the Western Conference Finals on the line, the Thunder had one job: go for the weak link.

That weak link was Aaron Gordon, hobbling on a Grade 2 hamstring strain, dragging his leg like he was auditioning for “The Walking Dead: Mile High Edition.” Instead? OKC treated him like prime Kawhi Leonard. Interim head coach David Adelman was pretty blunt: “If Aaron can play, he will play.” And play he did.

The Thunder, meanwhile, looked like they were stuck in the regular season algorithm, completely ignoring the fact that Gordon was basically a cardboard cutout in transition.

This wasn’t just poor strategy — it was playoff malpractice.

Fan Reactions: “Attack the Man, He’s Got One Leg!”

Let’s enter the fan reaction zone — or as we like to call it, “Thunder Twitter’s therapy session,” or maybe just the analyst’s rage. You choose.

“How on earth are the Thunder not going at Aaron Gordon every single time down the floor right now?” We feel you. Aaron Gordon, when healthy, averages 13.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 3.7 APG against the Thunder across 10 games. He’s been a defensive wall, often taking on SGA, JDub, or whoever thinks they can get cute in the paint. But this Gordon? The guy out there looked like he was on dial-up internet while everyone else had 5G. Why not just feed JDub and SGA those matchups over and over?

Keith Smith: “This may be harsh: But why isn’t OKC attacking Aaron Gordon in space?”

Harsh? No, it’s facts. With a hamstring strain that serious, Gordon should’ve been ISO’d more than Carmelo on the 2014 Knicks. Yet OKC’s offense ran smoother when Gordon was guarding empty space than when he was off the floor. They let him sit in defensive zones like he was a cone at practice. Get this man in a pick-and-roll or a switch — anything! Instead, OKC decided to test how many times they could ignore an injured man before the basketball gods punished them.

Brett Siegel: “Aaron Gordon is moving at half the speed he normally does because of his hamstring injury.”

Honestly, half might be generous. He was moving like someone playing on a MyCareer build with no VC upgrades. But you know what? Give credit where it’s due. Gordon played like a warrior, and with 14.5 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in this series, even banged up, he was still a problem. The problem is, OKC didn’t treat him like one.

Game 7 was monumental — the winner moves on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves and, hopefully, not get run out of the gym by Anthony Edwards. But this was the moment for OKC to lean on their youth, their versatility, and their 68-win season’s momentum. Instead? They fumbled like 2016 Steph in the Finals — yes, we’re still not over that behind-the-back pass to nobody.

Skip Bayless had to step in mid-game with: “This is seriously pathetic. The NBA is about to be laughing at the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’re getting exposed.”

That’s coming from a man who’s backed Tim Tebow’s passing skills — so yeah, that’s saying something.

Let’s be clear here: Aaron Gordon should not have been out there. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets forward was dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, something that typically sidelines players for weeks. We’ve seen Steph Curry sit out four straight games for less. But Gordon? Nope. He suited up like it was a Finals Game 7 and dropped 8 points and 8 boards in just 17 minutes, limping like he owed Nikola Jokic money.

At the half, the Thunder were shooting a respectable 48.1% from the field, while the Nuggets limped (literally) to 37.5%. Yet, despite the shooting split looking like Kobe Bryant vs. Smush Parker in a pickup game, OKC’s inability to exploit mismatches kept the door wide open.

Aaron Gordon was +1 at the half. That’s not just surprising — that’s black magic. Also, shoutout to JDub, who finally remembered how to shoot (8-12 FG for 17 points), but the rest of the offense was more disjointed than a Dwight Howard team meeting.

Game 7s don’t come often. For OKC, this was their first since 2020. For Aaron Gordon, this might’ve been the toughest 17 minutes he’s ever played. And yet — he made it count. Meanwhile, the Thunder made it easy. They let a one-legged man help eliminate them from the playoffs.

The fans saw it. The analysts saw it. The stat sheets screamed it. If you see a guy playing on one hamstring, you test that. This isn’t a YMCA rec league — this is the NBA Playoffs.

Moral of the story? You don’t let Aaron Gordon jog around like he’s in a Sunday charity walk and not make him work. Not in Game 7. Not with the season on the line.