The OKC Thunder head into Thursday night with an opportunity to finish off the Denver Nuggets in six games and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2016.
Of course, considering they'll be playing on the road at Ball Arena, as history suggests, Oklahoma City could easily fall victim to their previous hardships as they've struggled mightily this series while playing out in the Mile High City.
Because of this, this core will need to radiate with a level of desperation that they have never played with before.
Only then will they be able to finish this semifinal showdown against Denver in six, and, should Jalen Williams serve as a driving force during the contest, this ball club may find themselves accomplishing more than just a third-round berth.
Jalen Williams must be a key difference-maker for Thunder in Game 6
Even with the fact that he put forth a career-best campaign in 2024-25 and managed to establish himself as a legitimate All-Star in the process, heading into this year's postseason, concerns about him being a viable second option for this title-hopeful Thunder squad were still quite pertinent.
From his lack of experience in high-pressure situations to question marks surrounding his ability to "run the show" on offense without the assistance of superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, doubters were found spewing a bevy of talking points about why they're not yet sold on Williams' status as OKC's number two.
In their round one matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, it appeared that J-Dub silenced some of this negative chatter surrounding him, as he served as the club's most reliable on-court presence by recording 23.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals on 54.2 percent shooting from the floor and a team-best 16.8 plus-minus on a nightly basis.
Unfortunately, following their easy-breezy sweep, worries from both fans and analysts alike have popped back up as a result of his highly inconsistent offensive performances.
Only once has he registered 20 or more points during the series, and, even with this particular showing (32 points on 52.4 percent shooting during their Game 3 loss), it was directly followed up with a putrid 10-point performance on just 15.4 percent shooting from the field.
Without question, Game 6 will be the biggest test this Thunder core has ever seen.
Jalen Williams stepping up and serving as one of the top two catalysts in a series-clinching win would not only officially set them up for a conference finals showdown against the surging Minnesota Timberwolves but would simultaneously put the forward's second-round demons and, hopefully, the ill-willed naysayers to rest.