Anthony Edwards, Wolves Compared to Dwayne Wade, Heat by Rudy Gobert amid Mavs Series

The Minnesota Timberwolves are trailing the Dallas Mavericks 3-0 in the Western Conference Finals, but Rudy Gobert hasn't given up on the pursuit of a championship and is looking toward the 2005-06 Miami Heat for inspiration.

"We've got Ant, who's 22, and Dwayne Wade won a championship at that age," Gobert told Sam Amick of The Athletic. "(Wade) was the guy, but he was surrounded by some other veterans who helped him grow.

"I think that's the way I feel about our team. Ant is not in his prime yet, but he's still (capable of leading a title team). For him, it's about learning every day, being willing to learn and grow, and he's done that. Sometimes the pain of losing is the best lesson, but I think we've had some of that. I think we've had enough of that. Now it's 'Let's win it.'"

Wade was actually 24 when he led the Heat to his first NBA title, but the comeback portion of his story is surely more of note for Gobert than his actual age.

After all, the Heat dropped the first two games of the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks only to win four straight behind Wade's individual brilliance. He was given the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game in the series.

Minnesota will also have to win four straight, although there's even more urgency with a 3-0 hole compared to the 2-0 one Miami faced.

"Every (playoff series) loss is definitely a lesson," Gobert said. "But I also believe that we have what it takes to win now. That's the way I've felt. Of course I don't think we are at our best yet, but I still think we have a group that's capable of being unique, and we've shown it. We've been that. And I still think we are that team. We've just got to find ways to close the games against a really good team."

The one silver lining for the Timberwolves at this point is all three losses have come down to the final minutes even with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns struggling with their shots. If they play up to their potential, Minnesota could easily find itself back in this series.

And that would give Edwards the opportunity to take over down the stretch, just like Wade did in 2006.