SGA & Jalen Williams on Eliminating Nuggets in Game 7, FULL Postgame Interview

SGA & Jalen Williams on Eliminating Nuggets in Game 7, FULL Postgame Interview

Shay Gilis Alexander second in MVP voting last year. Won the series in the battle between the two MVPs. Still waiting on that announcement. Shay Gil just Alexander. Jaylen Williams combined for 59 points. The Thunder game seven win over the Nugs. Congrats on the win of Valencia King. Real talk sports. Coach just mentioned game seven is a game that you wake up and you know you’re going to remember for the rest of your life. So quick question for y’all. How did y’all wake up? How did y’all go in today’s game? Um, I didn’t really go to sleep. Okay. So, I was just excited. That’s all I got. I was excited to play. Um, I was nervous to be honest, just knowing like what’s on the line. We’ve worked so hard the whole like 82 game season. We’ve all worked so hard in the summer. And to know like if you don’t bring your aame, it could all be over with all for nothing. And um but I think that nervousness like motivated me and uh helped me play today like helped me give my all on both ends of the floor. Um and I used it to my advantage. We got a sh you just mentioned um you know the feelings leading into this game um the season being on the line but but you know this is the first Western Conference Finals birth for the team I think in in nine years. could you sense in in these past few days and just throughout this game after the win just sort of what a win like this means to the building to the city to to the franchise? Yeah. Um it means a lot specifically for the city. They’ve been so good all year. They’ve been behind us through good, through bad. Like it doesn’t feel like it feels like like no no no team in the league has homec court advantage like we do. And that’s all due to them with the t-shirts, the cheering, the screaming, the chance. They um they really give us like energy out there and and we we’ve been a better team because of them and having them behind us and to know that if we didn’t bring it tonight, it could be over for them as well wasn’t fair and we we we um we wanted to play for them as well. And and Mark was just in here saying that it felt like you guys tiptoed into the game from a confidence standpoint. When did you sort of sense the game break open and that you guys really sort of leaned in into the game? Yeah. Uh, I think like the nerves was natural. We obviously didn’t shoot, we actually shot horrible to start the game. Um, but I knew like we we were getting really good looks and if we just stuck with it that like we would loosen up in the ball and, you know, find the basket. Um, and it did. So, I I I never like I never was worried by this the way we started. We had the right intentions. We had to tighten a little bit up on defensive on the defensive end, but but once I um I felt the flow of the game and we had the right intentions and the right energy, I knew it would turn around for us. Dub, it it seemed like the series was a battle uh all series long about who could score in the paint better, who could uh carve up the other team’s defense. You guys had 64 points in the paint uh today. Did you feel like that was a product of better execution against their zone or, you know, playing off defense? What what did you feel out there? uh kind of to Tu’s point just we had a very good progression just throughout the series of like getting shots that we wanted and you know sometimes they fall sometimes they don’t but I think defensively we were really good and we were able to get out in transition and that’s given us layups and I think that’s where a lot of the points in the paint come from and then that gives you flow obviously going into the like going into like half court offense and I think that’s kind of where we got our confidence from and just trusting each other trusting our process for Shay and Dub. Um during during the offseason, you guys bring in AC and obviously he bought into the culture of this team defensively, but to see him have that kind of impact in the game seven. Can you speak to that? Yeah, he um he’s a player who rises to the occasion, you like he’s a he’s a player that understands the moment and like controls what he can control. And he does that at a very high level. like nobody nobody does that at at a higher level than him that I’ve ever played with. Like he is he is always in the moment. He’s always figuring out how to change the game and and and better the team. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a Tuesday in February in New Orleans or if it’s a game seven tonight. Like he’s given his 100% attention, energy, and and I think that’s what’s made him the NBA player he he he’s become. Um and to have a guy like that on your team, it’s it’s special. It raises the level of everybody else when you see him um just leading like that in in that example. Um he’s obviously a big reason why we’re as good as we are as a basketball team. Dub, did you really not sleep at all? I mean, I slept a little bit, but um yeah, I was just excited to play. Like you get you never know how many game sevens you’re going to get and it’s like an opportunity to to be great. So, I was just more excited about playing and getting the opportunity to What was that? It’s tripping. I think this is the Oh, I thought it was my There’s been some leaks in here. Looks like leaks. Yeah. Um, yeah, but I was just I was like I think I was probably just like hyped up to play and excited. Um, that’s really it. You know, those those nights it’s hard to like kind of like go to sleep. And Shay asked you after game six kind of how you thought Dub would respond tonight. Uh how do you think he played? Um terrible. No, he was amazing. He um Dub was a big reason for our like little stretch of the lead in the second quarter. um gave us momentum, but I said this out there after the game, like his growth as a basketball player has been obviously like you’ve seen it all year, but his growth mentally has been more impressive to me. He um he wouldn’t have played the way he played today last year and I know that 100%. And to see him take that step forward is uh it’s a really proud moment for me. Um just knowing like what he goes through on a day-to-day basis, knowing where he comes from, like that’s really my brother. And to see him get better in those areas is it’s special. fun and it makes this this whole experience um a little bit like more special. Um but yeah, Dub other than that, Dub’s like a great basketball player and he brought his aame when we need it the most and that’s what that’s what makes you the top echelon, upper echelon of this league and uh the sky’s the limit for Dub as we all know. if you guys can comment on just the points off turnovers return. The last couple games you really hadn’t had that big advantage, but tonight it’s kind of like feeding frenzy. Got a lot of easy buckets tonight. Yeah, that’s when we’re at our best. Um starts defensively. Um and then we’re able to play in space with the athletes and the speed that we have. Um yeah, but starts defensively and we once we brought that tonight, we were able to to stretch a lead out. You want me to answer that too? Oh yeah, just that’s that’s how we play. I I think I’ve said this earlier this year too, just like on like different things like our defense is not like predicated on us stealing the ball, you know what I mean? But it’s just more about the approach that we have, like how competitive and how right we can be and like how many how many rotations we can make, you know what I mean? Like we’re like trying to be as aggressive as possible and cover up for each other. And then if that results in a turnover, great. But, you know, we’re just trying to like contest every shot, rebound every time, like, and you just kind of stack within our defensive like possessions, and then that’s what makes us good. This is a question for both you guys. Uh, obviously a lot of excitement, nerves going into this game. What did you draw on anything? Did you reach out to anyone? Did anybody give you advice on how to approach a game like this? No, I turned my phone off honestly. Um, no cap. I just wanted to like as best as I could block out all the noise. Um just like enjoy the time. We had two days off for the first time in a little bit. Enjoy the time with my family. Um like I knew this moment was coming and the nerves nerves sat in my stomach for the two days, but I tried to like just think about it as as as least possible as I could. Um and I think I did a pretty pretty good job handling that. Came out ready to play today. When you say turn it off, do you mean like do not disturb and like maybe your mom can get through or like off? No social media basically. And then if you if you have my number, you you can have my number and text me. So yeah. Sorry. Jaylen, I don’t know if you can take the 20,000 foot view this close to the end of a game seven, but just what you guys have come through to now get to this point to go to the finals. What are you proudest of just with where you guys are in this moment? I think exactly that, like we are where our feet are, like being present in the moment, not letting like too many outside stuff like control we’re doing in the game. Um, and I think that was most impressive with everybody like no matter what was going on, like we stuck together. Um, and we were just kind of like uncommon in that way. Like we even had like team dinner like after a loss. I think that just shows like how connected we’ve been and we’ve been doing that the whole time. So we’re just with each other regardless of what happens. I think that’s what makes us a good team. Shay, as you think about now where you guys are headed, only four teams left in these playoffs. You’re the top seed and really some of those other top seeds have have gone. What does this sort of set up for you in your mind? Nothing at all. Um, we play a really good team in the Timberwolves and we got to try to beat them four times before they beat us four times. Um, and that’s all I’m worried about. all our team is worried about, like Dub just said, just trying to be where our feet are in the moment and see what’s in front of us and try to attack it and come out on the right end of it. Um, I think that’s why we gotten this far in the season and we’re going to continue to do so. D, you guys took your first lead 2726. It was your lay that did it and you got a whistle and the crowd just goes crazy. It’s one of the bigger pops of the night. Just kind of what was going through your head after the struggles you’ve had with this crowd just going crazy for you? Did I get fouled? Yeah, he missed the free throw. Um, honestly, it be so loud in there. It’s really cool to have those moments. I always try and like relish those in the game. And, um, yeah, it’s just really fun to play in there. So, we have a very good fan base and then Daniel for, uh, both of you guys. Um, coach talked about just the magnitude of this game uh before you guys came in here and talking about how he woke up this morning knowing that he’ll always remember because it’s a game seven. How much of that halftime break played a part in the sense of you guys coming out and putting together that tremendous third quarter? I mean, just to, you know, take that kind of like a deep breath, you know, it’s the only time you really kind of get that brief time to all, you know, be together for that little moment. Did you think that played a part or just things come together just in that third quarter organically? We honestly had like I think besides game two, we we haven’t been really good coming out of halftime this this series. Um and that was on the top of everyone’s mind at halftime. We wanted to to make sure that we got out to a good start. Uh we obviously built a pretty good lead. I think it was like 14 going into halftime, but the type of team they are, we’ve seen it all series, 14 is never enough. Um and we knew that and we wanted to come out and throw the first punch, we call it, and and I think we did a good job of that tonight. Yeah. Yeah. Sh Mark and Caruso at different points in this series talked about how you guys were looking forward to playing the Nuggets because of how good of a team you got and how much respected how much respect you had for them. What are some of the things that you learned about this team you guys team uh now that see season excuse me now the series is over? Learned about us? Yeah. [Music] Um, nothing I didn’t already know, but like we we we can win no matter the environment, no matter the type of game. It could be ugly, it could be pretty, could be high scoring, it could be low scoring, could be a lot of free throws, it could be no free throws, like no matter what it is, we can we can find a way to win. And I think that’s that’s very important this time of year. Um, but yeah, like I said, I already knew that about us and we have to keep implying that going forward. Who else we got? We do two more. We go. We got Michael. Actually, three. Then you uh Dub, going back to plus minus, we have Caruso and um Kase coming off the bench. They have the two highest plus minus in off the bench in game seven history. These past three games, what have they meant to you guys and sort of just closing out this series? They’ve been great. They’ve hit big shots. They’ve done a lot of little stuff that people won’t know about just as far as like being in the right coverage, pursuing playing good defense. Like they just been really really solid. AC switched on to Joic for a lot of that game too. So it’s like for them to like answer that task and be willing to kind of do whatever speaks to what kind of players they are and um that’s why they’re here. Mark Mark said that this was your guys best game on defense activitywise. What do you guys think led to that? Do or die. Yeah, sense of urgency. We knew that if we didn’t, like I said, bring our a game on the defensive end of the floor. Uh that um our season could be over. Um and nobody in the locker room was ready for that. We uh above all wanted to control the controllables and defense is one of those things being active, communicating, helping each other. Um, you can’t always control if the ball goes in on the other end of the floor, but defense you can always control and we knew that and that’s why we were as active as we were tonight. Shay, you and Nikil said, you and Nikquil have played against each other a lot now, but just from a personal standpoint, what’s it going to be like matching up with him uh in a conference finals? Yeah, it’ll be very fun. It’s like uh it’s hard to expl even explain. Like if you know how close we are, he’s literally like my my second brother. He um he’s been through every stage of life with me and picking up a basketball to going to prep school to making the NBA. Like we’ve gone through every situation together. For for both of us to be where we are is is special. Um to compete against each other is even more special. Um, but I am trying to take his his head off for sure. Completely. Thanks, guys. Three straight games, sevens for the Denver Nuggets. Of course, this is the one they lost in the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. We’ll hear from them next on Playoff Central Live, presented by AT&T. [Music]

Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder – FULL GAME 7 HIGHLIGHTS | May 18, 2025 | 2025 NBA Playoffs

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