Naz Reid on Wolves' 3-0 Hole vs. Mavs: If Anyone Can Win 4 Straight, I Think It's Us

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell into a 3-0 hole in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, losing 116-107 as Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving scored 33 points apiece.

But the Wolves aren't giving up hope just yet.

"If anyone can win four straight in this scenario, I think it's us," Naz Reid told reporters after the game.

The Timberwolves have jumped out to big series leads thus far in the postseason, sweeping the Phoenix Suns in the first round and starting the Western Conference Semifinals with a 2-0 advantage against the Denver Nuggets.

Yes, they showed resilience after dropping the next three games to the defending champions, winning Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road to advance. But no team in NBA history has erased a 3-0 deficit in the postseason. Teams facing that deficit are 0-154.

That's a different level of adversity the Wolves are facing. History would suggest they aren't built to recover from this deficit, because no NBA team has ever done so.

It's not just history working against them, however. The Mavericks also have two of the best closers in basketball in Dončić and Irving, and both have been spectacular in the fourth quarter during this series.

And while the Wolves' size and physicality made them the perfect foil for Denver, it has become a liability against the smaller, more athletic Mavericks. Dallas can pull Rudy Gobert away from the basket and take advantage of both him and Karl-Anthony Towns in space on the perimeter.

But when the Wolves send help to prevent those mismatches, Dončić and Irving have shooters surrounding them and athletic centers who can finish lobs off the pick-and-roll. The Mavericks have answers to any question the Wolves send their way.

Minnesota faces a nearly impossible task. But to the Wolves' credit, they don't seem shook.

"I'm always positive," Anthony Edwards told reporters after Sunday's loss. "Always happy. Been through the worst, so the sky's never falling for me."