In a dazzling display of skill and teamwork, the Denver Nuggets crushed the Los Angeles Clippers 120-101 in Game 7, marking their largest playoff victory and sending them to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.

With this resounding victory, the Nuggets not only secured their largest margin in a Game 7 but also shrugged off a history of playoff heartbreaks, leveling the playing field as they gear up to take on the formidable Thunder. Led by Aaron Gordon's 22 points and a 17-0 blitz in the third quarter, Denver's win was a convincing reminder that sometimes even the Clippers can be outclassed—especially when they decide to let James Harden take only 8 shots.

Christian Braun also stepped up significantly, adding 21 points to the scoreboard, proving that the Nuggets were not just a one-man show. Meanwhile, both Russell Westbrook and Jamal Murray contributed 16 points, with Westbrook making sure to rack up some assists while his team was in complete disarray. It was almost like watching a movie where the plot took a turn for the absurd, but in this case, reality had the DVD rights.

Nikola Jokic fell tantalizingly short of a triple-double, registering 16 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, which is about as close as one can get without receiving an unsolicited trophy for fourth place. Despite this minor hiccup in stat sheet heroics, Jokic's presence was felt all over the court, as he danced around defenders like a deer in a field of dandelions, occasionally deciding to knock them over with brute force.

The third quarter was particularly catastrophic for the Clippers, as the Nuggets went on a significant run, outscoring them 72-40 between the second and third quarters. That’s not just a swing; that’s a full-blown heist of any shred of momentum the Clippers may have hoped to have. The 17-0 run quickly became the stuff of legends, with spectators wondering if perhaps the Nuggets had found a new strategy of ‘just keep scoring’ instead of relying on their opponents to miss.

From the Clippers’ perspective, things couldn't have looked worse. Despite entering the playoffs with a hot streak of winning 18 out of 21 games, their postseason dreams were dashed faster than a kid's hope on a snow day. Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 22 points, but his contribution seemed almost tragic when compared to James Harden's paltry performance of 7 points on a dismal 2-for-8 shooting. Harden's struggles have become a reliable plot twist, but it's safe to say nobody was thrilled with this sequel.

In the aftermath of the game, interim head coach David Adelman emphasized the importance of stepping up and contributing during the playoffs. This statement, while true in its sentiment, felt almost trivial as the Nuggets towered over their opponents like Goliath. One has to wonder if Adelman was motivated by wishful thinking, the kind that often invokes pep talks in locker rooms filled with forgotten gym socks and a desire for pizza.

With this defeat, the Clippers are left to ponder their playoff fate, eliminated from contention with whispers of ‘what could have been’ echoing in the hallways. The Nuggets, however, seem to have shaken off the ghosts of their playoff past, particularly having lost four of their previous five games when facing a closeout situation, thus turning the tables in their favor. In a sense, they’ve graduated from being the underachievers of the postseason to potential overachievers—it's the kind of character arc that might inspire a motivational poster.

Now, as they prepare to face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the conference semifinals, the Nuggets must carry this momentum and newfound confidence. Success is a slippery slope in the world of sports, and signs point to the Nuggets having found a firm footing—though one can never be too sure how far a 17-0 run can carry a team, especially when facing a Thunder squad that likely has a few tricks of its own. One thing is for certain: the basketball world will be watching to see if the Nuggets can keep their winning streak alive or if they'll end up like the Clippers, wondering how it all went so terribly wrong.