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DALLAS — Daniel Gafford and rookie Dereck Lively II have given the Dallas Mavericks an inside presence they couldn't have imagined before the season. Now they get the challenge of the towering Timberwolves, led by Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. The Western Conference finals start Wednesday night in Minnesota. The headliners in pursuit of a spot in the NBA Finals are fellow All-Star guards Luka Doncic of Dallas and Minnesota's Anthony Edwards. The frontcourts will be a focus as well. Gafford was a midseason addition after Dallas drafted Lively. Gobert just won his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. Towns is the most potent offensive threat among the big men.
