The No. 4 Denver Nuggets forced a Game 7 with the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, rallying for a 119-107 victory despite trailing at the half. For NBA fans, such an outcome is quite thrilling—what's better than a full seven games of high-level basketball? But for players, it's a touch more serious than that.
Speaking with reporters after the game, OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sounded so locked in when commenting on his mentality heading into Sunday's final contest.
"It's do or die," SGA told the room. "It's what you live for. It's what you worked your whole life for. Either your dream continues or your dream ends. So you lay it all out there on the floor and live with the results. I mean, I'm excited for the opportunity, for sure."
Watch that below:
It's a serious way of looking at things, but it's true—for a professional athlete, the only mountain you're interested in climbing is the one that leads to a title. And for the championship-less Thunder (not counting their win as the Seattle SuperSonics), that's an even more important ascent than most.
In other words, you gotta stay locked in if you want it. And it sounds like SGA is prepared.
Tip-off for Game 7 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 18.
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