Despite playing through a painful hamstring injury in Game 7, Aaron Gordon called on the NBA to add more rest days between playoff games, warning that the current schedule puts players at risk.
The Denver Nuggets' season ended in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, when they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 125–93 in Game 7. But beyond the score, the night was defined by a remarkable act of sacrifice from forward Aaron Gordon.
Gordon played through a Grade 2 hamstring strain—an injury that typically requires several weeks to heal. Despite the pain, he logged 24 minutes and finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
"I never said no, there was never a doubt in my mind that I wasn't gonna play today," Gordon said in the post-game conference. "The only thing that made me doubt playing was the MRI. The MRI told me something worse than what I was feeling."
After the game, Gordon also addressed the NBA's demanding playoff schedule, calling for more rest between games.
"I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day, regardless if you go seven games," Gordon said. "I understand if you do your work early, you get first seed, then you can have some time off.
"The days in between games, not just off day and a travel day, but a travel day and a recovery day, just two days," he added. "The product of the game would be a lot better. Just one more day of rest, and you'll see a higher level of basketball. Probably, less blowouts."
Credit Image – Scanpix
Eventually, Gordon sent a message of solidarity to other injured stars from this year's playoffs—Damian Lillard (Achilles tear), Stephen Curry (hamstring strain), Jayson Tatum (Achilles tear), and said that they were "fatigue-based injuries."
"A lot of times, it's a team that's the most healthy. It's not even the best team," Gordon said of championship teams.
Had the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference Finals, Gordon likely would have missed at least the first two or three games to recover.
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