'They Chose Us': Finch Channels MJ-Level Pettiness to Oust Nuggets

Michael Jordan "I took that personally" memes and GIFS should be overpopulating NBA social media as an ode to the motivated Minnesota Timberwolves sending the Denver Nuggets home with a series-clinching win in Game 6 Thursday night.

After the shocking win without four key players, Wolves head coach Chris Finch disclosed that they took it personally when the Nuggets didn't take the foot off the gas at the end of the regular season to lose Game 82, effectively choosing to face Minnesota rather than Houston in the first round of the playoffs.

"They took it personal," Finch said. "Denver had that choice of who they wanted to play, and they chose us. They chose us."

While the Spurs rested Victor Wembanyama in the regular-season finale, they played everyone else. Denver could've rested Nikola Jokic, but instead chose to play him 18 minutes in the first half before pulling him. That didn't decide the game, but all Denver had to do was lose to the Spurs, and they would've fallen to the 4 seed and avoided the Wolves in the opening round.

Quick side note: In a world where "ethical basketball" only seems to be valued in Minnesota and San Antonio, Denver, with Jokic's flopping antics to the side, gave it their all in Game 82 and beat a terrific Spurs squad. That's pretty ethical.

Alas, Finch didn't just make it clear in his postgame press conference Denver entered the wrong den; he also shouted it to the team while bringing players in for a victory huddle in the locker room. The Wolves released the video:

"Hey, listen. They. Chose. To. Play. Us," Finch said, matter-of-factly. "Great job. All f****** heart. Way to bring it. Good job. Let's go, let's go, let's go. They f****** chose us."

You can hear someone else in the background say, "They chose the wrong team."

THEY CHOSE US. pic.twitter.com/tmpsXp9KM3
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 1, 2026

Denver took three of four games against Minnesota during the regular season, but as we've been saying all along, these Timberwolves have been there and done that. They've become the team that is extremely dangerous when all of the chips are pushed to the center of the table, even if they played uninspired, lackadaisical hoops at times throughout the season.

You don't go to back-to-back conference finals unless you're the real deal, and Minnesota is exactly that. It's like Walter White declared in "Breaking Bad" when he said, "I am the one who knocks." That's who the Timberwolves are.

Injuries may prove fatal to Minnesota eventually, but the fact that Denver couldn't beat the "hospital bed Wolves," as has become a popular description of them online, is a testament to the heart and soul driving a team that may very well get Anthony Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu back at some point in the second-round series against San Antonio.

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