Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon put everything on the line in the Nuggets Game 7 against OKC, but it wasn’t enough.
Just hours before tip off, Shams Charania reported that Gordon’s Grade 2 hamstring strain needed “several weeks to recover” and that he’d been searching for ways to play, but it was “becoming physically improbable to do so.”
But Gordon said there was “never any doubt” he would play.
“I knew the risks, but I wanted to be out there for my team,” Gordon said. “I gave it my all.”
He spent the last few days trying to get to a level where he could take the court.
“Everything that I could possibly do: hot, cold, contrast, massage, hyperbaric, everything that I could possibly do, just so I could be out there and fight for my team,” Gordon said.
He was asked if he would have kept playing if Denver had advanced to the Western Conference Finals. His answer:
“That was probably it. At least for two or three games, into the next round. So I was saying, maybe I can get through this one and then rest a little bit, come back later in the next series.”
The NBA champion went on to call out the league for the gruelling playoffs schedule that affected plenty of stars this postseason, including Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
“You saw it around the league,” Gordon said. “There’s guys all around the league that are suffering fatigue-based injuries because the games are so closely stacked together.
“It would just be nice for one or two more rest days throughout the postseason, just so we can come back fresh and compete,” he added, “’cause a lot of the time, it’s the team that’s most healthy. It’s not even the best team, it’s the team that’s most healthy.”
Interim head coach David Adelman had nothing but good things to say about Gordon and his efforts.
“Aaron Gordon is incredible,” Adelman said, noting the intense circumstances that Gordon persevered through. “That was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen. … It’s just a testament to his toughness.”
READ MORE: Brian Windhorst on Whether Warriors Can Land Giannis Antetokounmpo
