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Five observations as we head into tonight's openers:

1. Research shows preseason results are most important for teams that win 30 games or less, and are particularly indicative when a bad team plays unusually well the next preseason. Following that logic, one team to keep an eye on this year is Minnesota. The T'wolves went 6-2 in preseason, a strong indicator that they're ready to improve on last year's 22 wins. While I can't imagine them making the playoffs in the West, a 10-game jump could be in the cards.

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