T he Oklahoma City Thunder seemed to be well on their way to a rather stress-free Game 1 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of a Western Conference semifinals series before

OKLAHOMA CITY — Aaron Gordon will always answer a teammate’s phone call.

At this point, the Denver Nuggets acquiring Aaron Gordon has to be up there with the greatest non-superstar trades in recent, if not all of, NBA history. The fit has been extraordinary from the start as Gordon, with Nikola Jokić as his quarterback, has unlocked the best imaginable basketball version of himself.