San Antonio has won the last 11 times these teams have met. Circumstances are different now. The Spurs won't have injured Kawhi Leonard and Minnesota has its best team ever - on paper.

Still, I like the Spurs to defeat the Timberwolves.

Minnesota added Jimmy Butler and Jeff Teague. They join Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Both Towns and Wiggins are used to being top dogs in Minnesota and getting their hands on the ball a lot. The dynamics change now with Butler and Teague coming on board. Butler is a top-15 player. Teague is a very offensive-minded point guard. It's going to take time for this group to jell and get in sync. Opening at San Antonio, one of the toughest venues in the NBA, is a rough way to begin. The Timberwolves have yet to show they can play good defense.

The Spurs are the best-coached team in the league. They've added Rudy Gay and LaMarcus Aldridge played well in preseason in filling some of the scoring void without Leonard. The Spurs picked up valuable experience playing without Leonard in the Western Conference Finals against the Warriors. This is a step down for them playing the Timberwolves instead of Golden State.