The Oklahoma City Thunder will have their historic season on the line when they face the Denver Nuggets in a dramatic Game 7 on Sunday. The Round 2 playoff series has been filled with classics, as every game besides Game 2 came down to the final minutes.

The entire NBA world will focus on OKC, as it’s the sole playoff game scheduled for the weekend. Repercussions will be deadly for the Thunder if they can’t advance past the second round for a second consecutive year.

Here are four things the Thunder must do to win Game 7 against the Nuggets and move on to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals:

SGA continues to play like an MVP

After a shaky Round 1, Gilgeous-Alexander has returned to MVP form against the Nuggets. He’s averaged 28.8 points on 51.3% shooting, seven assists and seven rebounds through the series’ first six games. Outside of a Game 3 stinker, he’s played well enough for OKC to win the other four games.

Gilgeous-Alexander will need to continue his efficient 30-point production. Nikola Jokic has figured out OKC’s complex defense after a three-game stint where he struggled from the field. Denver has no answers for the MVP favorite as he slices through its interior defense and his jumper is back to being reliable.

Game 7 will be Gilgeous-Alexander’s biggest game of his career. A lot will be on the line for his legacy, fair or not. This game could determine whether he’ll be viewed in the same regard as Kobe Bryant or a Gen Z James Harden. He needs to leave it all out on the court.

Jalen Williams steps up

Social media has not been kind to Williams since a Game 6 stinker. The biggest question for the Thunder about their playoff chances centered around the 24-year-old’s ability to be a good enough second option on a title winner. That’s been nowhere near the case against the Nuggets.

Williams has averaged an ugly 16.5 points on 33.7% shooting, 5.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds in six games. He’s shot a putrid 21.2% from 3 on 5.5 attempts. Just awful numbers that aren’t good enough.

A missed transition dunk that killed any hopes of a last-second comeback was the perfect punctuation mark to a hideous Game 6 performance. That was the boiling point for fans as frustration slowly built up throughout the series with Williams. Outside of a Game 3 masterpiece, he’s been a no-show.

Role players’ home cooking

In a do-or-die situation, the Nuggets received a home boost with their role players in Game 6. Christian Braun and Julian Strawther had their best games of the series. Braun had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Strawther exploded for 15 points off the bench.

The Thunder hope for similar luck in Game 7. The old saying goes that role players play better at home. OKC will need that as points have cost a premium in this playoff series. Lu Dort’s 12 points in Game 5 were an example of that. Now you need that repeated on Sunday with other guys like Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins, who’ve struggled this series.

It’s been another Round 2 series where the role players have disappeared. They can’t take advantage of the outside looks generated by Gilgeous-Alexander’s gravity. The Thunder have shot an ugly 32.1% from 3 on 39 attempts in the playoffs. That needs to change or risk being eliminated.

Defense continues to play at championship level

For as bad as the offense has been, the Thunder’s league-best defense has carried over to the playoffs. The Nuggets have had an ugly 105.9 offensive rating in their first six games. They’ve only cracked 120 points once this entire series.

Denver has shot 41.3% from the field against the Thunder. That should be good enough to win the series. OKC’s other side of the ball has failed to hold up its end of the bargain. Much like last year against the Dallas Mavericks, when Gilgeous-Alexander was the sole source of offense.

Mark Daigneault has always been a defensive-first head coach. That’s been evident in the playoffs. Weaker defenders like Joe and Wiggins have been cut from the rotation because of their philosophy. Maybe the Thunder could give a little bit more leeway for points, even if it means not having a shutdown defense, but that talking point is for another day.