Before the postseason even tipped off, the Western Conference was already playing chess- teams angling to avoid the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, with a shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers looking like the easier path. But on the final day of the regular season, the Denver Nuggets didn’t just win- they locked in a first-round clash with the Minnesota Timberwolves, handing Chris Finch and his squad the perfect rallying cry: “They chose us.” In a rivalry that’s become inevitable, that was all the ammunition Minnesota needed to turn the matchup into something personal and historic. However, after Chris Finch took a big jab at the eliminated Nuggets, one humbled star had to warn him about his next matchup.

Following the Denver Nuggets’ 110-98 Game 6 defeat and subsequent playoff elimination, Cameron Johnson put a magnifying glass on the reality of postseason strategy. Johnson was responding to claims made by Finch, who suggested that Denver effectively “chose” to play his team by winning their regular-season finale against the San Antonio Spurs.

Dismissing the idea of calculated matchmaking, Johnson pointed to the specific motivation of the players on the floor during that season-ending victory. “As players, you’re always going to try and win.” Johnson told reporters during the postgame fallout. “If you’re talking about San Antonio specifically, we’re talking about a group of guys that were playing and fighting for their careers,” Johnson argued. “They were never going to lay down. It’s not about seeking a match, it’s about winning the games that come our way. And then the playoffs come, and you want to do it all over again.”

He emphasized that the win over the Spurs was a matter of individual survival rather than deliberate maneuvering.

Talking about the backups who played in that game, he said that they were only doing their best to earn a spot in the rotation. “The guys that won that game did not have Minnesota on their minds, to seek a match up, they wanted to go out there and prove something for themselves, and to the team.”

Several Nuggets players entered the final stretch of the 2025-26 regular season with clear contract-related motivations that align with Cam Johnson’s emphasis on individual survival and proving oneself rather than calculated matchmaking.

Tim Hardaway Jr. and Bruce Brown Jr. both reunited with Denver on short‑term or one‑year deals, positioning them as unrestricted or “prove‑it” types looking to cash in on future contracts. Tyus Jones joined the Nuggets late in the 2025–26 season on a prorated veteran‑minimum, rest‑of‑season contract after being waived by Dallas, which is exactly the kind of roster‑depth move where a veteran is motivated to show he can still run an offense and get paid next year.

Johnson’s own adjustment to Denver has been about resilience and proving himself after a big trade. In a cap-strapped environment where depth players and end-of-bench contributors competed for limited minutes, these athletes had every reason to treat the season-ending games, including the victory over San Antonio.

The final Western Conference standings for the top six teams were as follows: the Oklahoma City Thunder finished first at 64-18, the San Antonio Spurs took second at 62-20, the Denver Nuggets secured third at 54-28, the Los Angeles Lakers placed fourth at 53-29, the Houston Rockets came in fifth at 52-30, and the Minnesota Timberwolves finished sixth at 49-33.

A pivotal result on the final day came in San Antonio, where the Nuggets defeated the Spurs 128-118. Entering that game, Denver sat at No. 3 but could have fallen to No. 4 with a loss combined with a Lakers victory. By winning, the Nuggets clinched the third seed and locked in a first-round series against the Timberwolves rather than a potential shift involving the Rockets. The Spurs, already assured of the No. 2 seed, were unaffected in their positioning.

The Nuggets beat the Spurs 128-118 in that game. In a previous game against OKC, Adelman rested his starters to jockey for playoff positioning. “I think people need to calm down with ‘Let’s play the Lakers.’ If Luka comes back and feels good, do you want to play Luka Doncic? Like, I think you’re messing with the game when you think that,” Adelman said back then.

So the choice comments aren’t entirely off the mark. But Johnson wouldn’t allow his teammates’ efforts to be negated by a force like Victor Wembanyama.

Chris Finch had a contrasting stance on the Nuggets’ previous opponents

Chris Finch took the bragging rights of beating Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets a step further. “Denver had the chance to pick who they wanted to play coming down the stretch, and they chose us,” Finch told the reporters after the game.

“We used that as motivation all the way through preparation and through the series. They chose us. They didn’t have to choose us. They chose us, and our guys were up for the challenge of that,” He boasted.

Jockeying for playoff positioning is a sore but common topic. JJ Redick also acknowledged that everyone was targeting them before Luka Doncic healed from a hamstring strain.

But as much bravado as Finch had about beating the Nuggets, he was equally fearful about going up against the Spurs in the next round.

“I’m not sure what we have left standing before we go down there,” Finch said about the San Antonio Spurs, the exact team the Nuggets beat for playoff positioning, according to the Wolves HC. 

Finch let his nervousness show since he’s up against a “generational talent” like Victor Wembanyama without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo. Like the Nuggets, Finch’s backups will have to fill the void.

As much as Finch used that narrative to fuel his locker room, Cameron Johnson has a point. It’s going to fall on the players to carry the team.