OKLAHOMA CITY – So much is on the line Sunday: Reputations, legacies, financial implications, jobs, promotions and of course, the chance to keep playing into next week. All that because the Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma Thunder couldn’t figure a way to eliminate one another through six games of this intense conference semifinal. So here they are in a Game 7 (Sunday, 3:30 ET, ABC), for the final 48 minutes (or more if there’s overtime). This is fresh territory for this version of the Thunder. As for the Nuggets, this isn’t their first rodeo; they’ve played more Game 7s over the last seven years than any team, and are 4-2 in those situations. “Every game is its own chapter, its own entity,” said Nuggets interim coach David Adelman. Here’s what’s at stake: For the Thunder A top seed that dominated the regular season, won 68 games, finished 18 games ahead in the West, had the highest point differential by far and swept the first round is suddenly teetering on edge. Losing this game and failing to emerge from the second round would be soul-crushing, though not crippling; OKC does bring the youngest team in the league. For the Nuggets After firing their head coach and general manager just a week before the playoffs, the Nuggets were shaky internally just a month ago. Losing this game would be a culmination of all that. Winning would breathe fresh life into the team and flip the outlook. Adelman said: “We’re excited about the opportunity.” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “It’s do or die. It’s what you live for.” Here are four things to look for in the final game of a series that has yet to disappoint:

1. MVP showdown between Jokić and SGA

The league hasn’t awarded the most cherished individual trophy yet, and the wisecracking suggestion is for it to be handed out following the game to the truly deserving winner.

However, the voting is long over, and it’s a regular-season award anyway.

That said, there’s surely to be some incentive for Jokić and Gilgeous-Alexander, the presumed top-two candidates for the trophy, in this Game 7. Great players bring healthy egos and always want to test themselves against equally-great players, especially when the stakes are high. The degree of satisfaction for winning this game will be immense, given that the entire basketball world awaits two verdicts — this series and the MVP award.

Jokić and Shai have leveled-up throughout this series, save for a few rough patches. The defense played against them has been strategic and at times useful, but both eventually figured a way to crack the code.

For Jokić
Can he deliver against the platoon of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylen Williams? And if he does, still be fresh enough for the fourth-quarter stretch run assuming the score is tight and the ball comes his way?

For Shai
How does he toggle between moments when he needs to shoot and when he needs to distribute? And will he get the benefit of the doubt by the referees when he dribbles through traffic and loads up on trips to the free throw line?

The outcome of this game could rest on the answers to those questions.

2. Gordon’s bill of health

Aaron Gordon’s left hamstring will be a problem until he shows it isn’t. He reached for it in the closing moments of Game 6 and, immediately after the game, sought treatment. He had the luxury of two inactive days, but will that be enough rest for an injury that requires plenty of it? This much we know: Gordon’s worth to the Nuggets is heavy. Remember, his ability to close games is valuable, as evidenced this post-season by two game-winners and another shot that forced overtime. Also, the Nuggets lack depth. If Gordon can’t play or is limited, those minutes must be gobbled up by someone who isn’t used to being in a high-profile, big-demand role. Finally, with Michael Porter Jr. still limited by a shoulder injury, the Nuggets are desperate for scoring. Porter will need to dig deep — he has scored three points or fewer in three games of this series — or else. Which brings us to …

3. Westbrook’s last chance for redemption The stage is all set for a stirring comeback. Russell Westbrook is back in Oklahoma City, where he won an MVP and perhaps will have a statue erected in the future. This is a Game 7. And his performance in this series for the Nuggets has been, to put it kindly, uneven. He can either erase all of that and leave OKC with a primal scream, or continue showing the decline of a former superstar and face lots of offseason questions about his future in this league. The Thunder are clearly disrespecting him by leaving him wide open, begging the Nuggets to throw him the ball. Westbrook plays into those wishes by constantly stretching the floor, rather than sticking near the rim where his odds of getting a layup are much better. He’s shooting 18% from deep and 35% overall in this series. In the last three games he has more turnovers than field goals. Westbrook still has his motor which helps make hustle plays that keep possessions alive. He also has a habit of jogging back on defense after poorly missing a shot or making a bad pass. It’s a tough watch sometimes. Yet he has a chance to atone, in OKC of all places. The last chapter of the script is waiting to be written.

4. OKC’s depth in big demand
The strength-in-numbers approach served the Thunder well to this point. It’s their advantage, other than Shai, over every other team. It’s why they can absorb the occasional poor night from Holmgren or Jalen Williams or Lu Dort and still maintain a high level.

There could be a red alert Sunday if Williams continues to misfire badly. He has shooting games of 5-for-20, 5-for-14, 3-for-16 and 2-for-13 this series. His 3-pointer is missing. As the designated No. 2 option, Williams obviously holds high value next to Shai. But if he starts poorly, how long does Mark Daigneault stick with him?

It’s a delicate situation because most coaches stick with the players who helped them travel this far, and it’ll be a shock if Daigneault veers from that approach — Williams is a tremendous player who can rebound and defend. Still, Oklahoma City has the advantage of turning to Cason Wallace, or Aaron Wiggins, both of whom have played very well off the bench, if points are necessary.

OKC’s long rotation wears down the opposition, which never sees much relief, if any, whenever a Thunder starter heads to the bench. Here in a Game 7, a now-or-never contest, this could be a difference.