Keldon Johnson flipped the script on Thunder at WCF's most critical point

The Spurs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 2014 season. Their Game 7 matchup against the Thunder was a nail-biter, and it took an all-hands-on-deck approach to tip the scales in their favor. Keldon Johnson was one of the biggest contributors in this one.

The Sixth Man Of The Year was subject to heavy criticism throughout the postseason with his up-and-down production, but he showed up when it mattered the most. He scored 11 points off the bench while shooting 50% from the floor and draining two three-pointers.

His energy was so contagious from the beginning, whether he was on the floor or not. There was no better moment for him to prove his value to his team than tonight, on the biggest stage of his career.

Keldon's maturity shined in this game

One of Johnson's biggest flaws is his tendency to play out of control on offense. He loves to drive aggressively downhill to the rim, but sometimes it gets in the way of his decision-making. In this year's playoffs, we've seen him turn the ball over a ton when trying to barrel through defenders on his way to the basket.

Tonight, he looked super sharp. In the biggest game of his NBA career, he didn't have a single turnover, striking a perfect balance between aggression and poise. It was such a contrast to what we saw from him in matchups before this one.

He was +6 on the floor for San Antonio for a reason. Critics thought his game wasn't built for the postseason stage, but all it took was a shift in his decision-making and sharpness to prove he's fit for moments like this.

Johnson's three-point shooting stood out

KJ's had some up-and-down moments as a long-range shooter this series. In the first two matchups, he looked really good, but in Games 3-6, he struggled to find his stroke. Tonight was a return to form for him as he drained 2-4 of his attempts.

Both of his threes came at the best possible moments, too. He drained them early in the fourth quarter, staving off a potential Thunder comeback that kept peeking around the corner. They were the exact deep corner catch-and-shoot looks that he was draining at a solid clip all season long.

His efficiency from range has to carry into the championship round for the Spurs. They'll need him to take advantage as a floor spacer by punishing Knicks defenders who choose to sag off or help on drives to the basket.

KJ gave a textbook sixth-man performance. He came in when his number was called and did exactly what he needed to do in his minutes. The Spurs could not close this series without his efforts

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