Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks to pass the ball under pressure from Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso (9) as center Isaiah Hartenstein (55) and forward Aaron Gordon (32) battle for position in the third quarter during game six of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Alex Caruso provided some clutch bench minutes for the Oklahoma City Thunder in [their Game 7 rout](https://www.si.com/nba/aaron-gordon-thinks-should-be-more-time-between-games-nba-playoffs) over the Denver Nuggets, scoring 11 points and posting an eye-popping +40. Most astounding was his suffocating defense on Nikola Jokic, which proved to be season-ending in its nature. His excellence did not stop at the final whistle as he and Chet Holmgren were ushered into the media room postgame where they shared some memorable lines, including Caruso addressing his mindset headed into the winner-take-all game.
The way he sees it, being nervy befoe a Game 7 is a sign of being alive. And well-adjusted.
"If you don't feel anything leading up to it, you're probably like a serial killer," Caruso said. "You need to be checked out."
It's always interesting to see how athletes approach the biggest moments of their careers. There's a good portion of players who would never, under any circumstances, admit to being a bit apprehensive about the moment. But that act can become tortured and entirely non-convincing, especially when a veteran confident in their standing just lays it all out there bare like this.
It'd be interesting to see how someone would "check out" a player claiming not to be nervous for more malignant tendencies. Sounds like a _Minority Report_ situation.