The Dallas Mavericks are one series away from the NBA Finals, which means it's time to welcome the bandwagoners to our fan base.

Driving the news: The Minnesota Timberwolves are hosting the Mavs tonight for Game 1 of the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals.

• The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Flashback: The Mavericks last played in the Western Conference Finals in 2022 and lost to the Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the championship.

• Luka Dončić had only been a Mav a few years, and he didn't have a strong team behind him — yet.
• And, it was Jason Kidd's debut season as head coach.

State of play: Versatile players like Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., PJ Washington and rookie Dereck Lively II have since joined the team.

• Irving and Dončić have become a power duo, pulling off some wild plays in critical moments.
• Lively is only 20, but he's been a key contributor on offense and defense.

What's next: The Timberwolves (No. 3 seed) will be a tough matchup for the Mavericks (No. 5 seed). The Wolves often play two big men at the same time and have a deep bench.

• Dončić played through some injuries in the past two series. Winning the conference semifinals in six games gave him extra days of rest before this series.

How to watch: TNT will broadcast the games, which means they'll be streamed on services like HBO Max and Sling.

• Game 1 starts at 7:30pm. Game 2 is Friday in Minneapolis. The teams will travel to Dallas for Games 3 and 4.

Father Dirk

Point guard Jason Kidd helped the Mavericks win their first NBA championship in 2011, alongside pals Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and Jason Terry.

• Now, he's coaching the team to pursue their second title.

Why it matters: Kidd's comeback story deserves a full-circle championship run, and he's earned it this season.

• The team has made it to the Western Conference Finals twice in his three seasons as head coach.

Catch up quick: Kidd retired from his 19-year NBA career in 2013, finishing as a New York Knicks player.

• He coached the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks and helped coach the Los Angeles Lakers before returning to Dallas in 2021.

The intrigue: Kidd's coaching staff has focused on the pace of the game and building trust among the players.

• He's also cultivated close relationships with his players, balancing being easygoing and brutally honest, per Irving.

Fun fact: Irving was a kid when he watched Kidd play on the New Jersey Nets during the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals. Irving went on to play for the Nets in 2019.

• They also share a birthday.

The bottom line: "Our culture is what you see. There's a trust, there's enjoyment, there's fun ... that's the beauty of the Mavs right now," Kidd told reporters last weekend.

• And he'll be here for a while.

Coached by an icon

Early voting is underway for the runoff elections from March's Democratic and Republican primaries.

State of play: Party nominees for elected positions ranging from county chair to U.S. representative are still up for grabs.

• Some runoff results, such as in the Dallas County sheriff race, will decide the seat because there is no opponent from the other party.

Here are a few notable races…

32nd Congressional District: The winner of the Republican primary runoff will face Democrat Julie Johnson in a bid to replace U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who is running for U.S. Senate against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

• Former Dallas City Council member David Blewett faces former Arlington City Council member Darrell Day.

Dallas County sheriff: Incumbent Marian Brown faces former sheriff Lupe Valdez to be the county's top law enforcement officer.

• Valdez was first elected as sheriff in 2004 and stepped down to run for governor in 2018. Brown, her third-in-command was appointed — and then elected.

Texas House 33: Incumbent Justin Holland faces former Trump campaign spokesperson Katrina Pierson in the Republican runoff.

• Holland has drawn ire from Gov. Greg Abbott after voting against school vouchers. The Rockwall incumbent trailed Pierson by just 1 point in March.

Texas House 61: Incumbent Frederick Frazier and Keresa Richardson face off in the Republican primary for the McKinney state representative seat. Frazier trailed Richardson in March by nearly 6 percentage points.

• Since then, Frazier has been released early from community supervision after pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges of impersonating a public servant. The charges were then dismissed.

Before you go: Go to votetexas.org for more information. For early voting and election day voting locations:

• Collin County
• Dallas County
• Denton County
• Rockwall County
• Tarrant County

What's next: Early voting continues through 7pm Friday. Election day is Tuesday.

⚖️ Tarrant County commissioners approved a $1.2 million wrongful death settlement to a woman whose baby died after she gave birth in the county jail. (Star-Telegram)

❌ A photographer who said Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice assaulted him in a Dallas nightclub has signed an affidavit declining to pursue charges against Rice. (DMN)

📜 A Dallas City Council committee signed a resolution condemning the still-contested state law allowing local law officers to enforce federal immigration law. (Dallas Observer)

A barbecue spot in Dallas has the best cookies.

State of taste: Slow Bone BBQ has been around for years, but we just discovered their chocolate pecan cookies.

The intrigue: Slow Bone tells Axios that rest, oven temperature and toasted pecans are the secrets to their quarter-pound cookies. The dough is rolled, vacuum sealed and chilled for 24 hours.

Where: Slow Bone BBQ, 2234 Irving Blvd.

Cost: $5

Six word review: Don't bother checking calories this time.

😋 Have a favorite dessert we should try? Hit reply and let us know.