Warriors, Wolves ready to rumble

As the wild west gets wilder, the Warriors and the Wolves are taking their China trip as serious as possible in anticipation of what is shaping up to be one of the toughest ever conference battles in the new season.

NBA preseason tours of China are usually more about promotions, sightseeing and cultural exchanges but that is not entirely the case this year as the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves prepare to play two exhibition games in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Thursday and Shanghai three days later.

After landing in Shenzhen on Monday, both teams immediately hit the gym the next day, and the sight of the pumped-up players' yelling at each other and the intensity of their drills suggested they realize it's time to seriously get back to business.