Since the Timberwolves became playoff contenders several seasons ago, fans have liked to play the what-if game, as in, "What if the Wolves played in the Eastern Conference?"
They will get a taste of it during the next two weeks, as Minnesota plays eight consecutive Eastern Conference opponents, including Tuesday night's game against the New York Knicks.

It won't necessarily be an easy stretch.

The Eastern Conference, often referred to as the "Leastern Conference" the past few years, is expected to be much improved this season after going 161-259 against Western Conference teams last season.

"I think some of the teams have improved from the bottom," said Wolves coach Flip Saunders, who added it's tough to see how much the East has improved at this point because of key injuries on key teams. "Atlanta's struggled, but they're going to be better. Boston's going to be better. Washington's definitely better. Orlando's better. I think that's how you judge the strength of a conference or division, is who's improved, and how much better some of the bottom teams are."