9.5 seconds crash! Behind the Thunder s tragic kill, these three defeats are too fatal

In this gunpowder-filled playoff match on May 6, 2025, the Thunder lost to the Nuggets 119-121, shattering the hope of victory by Aaron Gordon's three-pointer. The difference between the points, which seemed to be only 3 points, actually exposed the Thunder's fatal shortcomings at critical moments, and the three major defeats directly rewritten the end of the game.

First, a fatal error on the defensive end. In the last 9.5 seconds of the game, the Thunder still led 119-118, but made a fatal mistake on the defensive end. When Westbrook was pushing with the ball, the Thunder failed to adopt the double-team tactic in time and allowed it to pass the ball easily to Gordon at a 45-degree angle on the right. What's worse is that there were serious omissions in Gordon's close-fitting defense, allowing the "Big Heart" to get a nearly empty three-pointer to make a phone call. On the other hand, the Thunder failed to make effective tactical cooperation in the last attack, and made a hasty move without success, wasting the lead. This double mistake in defense and tactical execution at critical moments can be called a "suicide" operation, which directly gives up the victory.

Secondly, the frequent mistakes of core players have become another straw that crushes the Thunder. In the confrontation with the Nuggets defender, Alexander lost the ball many times due to unstable dribbling or improper passing choice. Similarly, Homgren missed two free throws at critical moments, turning the opportunity that could have been converted into a scoring opportunity to the opponent's counterattack. These mistakes not only made the Thunder miss the opportunity to score, but also greatly damaged the team's morale. "Scrolling" at critical moments has become an important inducement for the failure.

Finally, the total rebounding defeat laid the groundwork for the loss. In the whole game, the Nuggets grabbed 63 rebounds, including 21 offensive rebounds; the Thunder only scored 43 rebounds, and only 13 offensive rebounds. Jokic was in the inside and was scrambling to 22 rebounds, and the Thunder inside players could not limit their dominance. The Nuggets have obtained a large number of second-offensive opportunities with offensive rebounds, and scored 12 more points more than the Thunder with just second-offensive points. The lack of defensive rebounds not only made the Thunder's defense fail, but also made the team fall into a vicious cycle of "not attacking or defending" on the offensive end.

This defeat was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Thunder. From leading to being killed, three fatal injuries were like three sharp blades, completely cutting off the possibility of victory. If these problems cannot be solved in subsequent games, the Thunder's playoffs will be full of thorns in the playoffs. How to learn lessons and make timely adjustments have become an urgent issue facing Thunder.