The Minnesota Timberwolves have seen their past two seasons end in the Western Conference finals. The Timberwolves are taking aim at a breakthrough this season and begin the task on Wednesday night when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games last year and largely cruised to the Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed. However, the Cavs' season crashed down in the Eastern Conference semifinals because of injuries and the sensational play of a tenacious Indiana Pacers team led by clutch superstar Tyrese Haliburton.

In the nightcap on NBC, the Warriors will visit the Lakers in Los Angeles. The league completely eschewed the Eastern Conference on its first showcase night in four months, indicating it understands something many fans have felt for some time now: The West is the far better conference.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to do something that hasn't been done in the NBA since 2018 — repeat as champion.

The Boston Celtics have an arduous climb ahead of them this season with superstar forward Jayson Tatum starting the season on injured reserve recovering from a ruptured achilles tendon suffered during the playoffs and Jaylen Brown also ailing.

Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards spoke about needing to face this challenge in order to get to the NBA Finals this season.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will receive their NBA championship rings before their season opener against the Houston Rockets