The conference finals are officially underway. Four teams will vie for the chance to compete for a championship and while this year’s NBA Final Four doesn’t feature the Mavericks, there aren’t many degrees of separation from participating teams to the defending Western Conference champions — a title Dallas has owned for nearly the last year.

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves are the two teams left standing in the West. The Thunder and Wolves are meeting in the Western Conference finals with both franchises looking for a long-awaited NBA Finals appearance.

The Kansas City Mavericks sent a strong message to the Toledo Walleye in Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals matchup Tuesday: We’re not done yet.

A strong power play and another strong game by goaltender Jack LaFontaine was the recipe for the Kansas City Mavericks to get back into the ECHL Western Conference Championship series Tuesday night.

Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney has learned from Jason Kidd, is from Saint Paul, Minnesota and stands on business. Described by league sources as someone who has an unrivaled work ethic, Sweeney is one of several candidates for the Phoenix Suns head coaching vacancy.

The Toledo Walleye advanced with a 5-3 victory over the Fort Wayne Komets on Saturday to capture the Central Division crown and set up a showdown with the Mavericks. Toledo took the Division Finals series 4-2.