Could The Minnesota Timberwolves Force Seven-Game Series Like The Boston Celtics Did Against The Miami Heat?

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the brink of elimination in the Western Conference Finals.

Jan 10, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) goes to the basket past Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports / Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 0-3 deficit to the Dallas Mavericks puts them in a situation no team in league history has overcome.

But we don’t have to go back that far to find an instance where a team in this position forced a Game 7 to keep their postseason hopes alive.

If the Timberwolves are looking for any slimmer of hope, they can look last postseason at the Boston Celtics going seven games against the Miami Heat. The Celtics were down 0-3 after a blowout loss in Game 3, with many believing the Heat would complete the sweep and immediately face the Denver Nuggets. Boston forced a seven-game series, nearly overcoming the impossible feat.

They unfortunately couldn't complete this comeback due to a star performance by Caleb Martin and a lackluster game by Jaylen Brown after Jayson Tatum suffered an early injury. Their Game 7 blowout loss illustrated the difficulty of accomplishing this degree of a comeback. The Celtics needed to essentially be flawless with everything lining up perfectly. Still, they gave themselves a chance to advance after being an afterthought in many viewers' eyes.

The Timberwolves have the chance to do this as well, but it starts Tuesday night. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards still expresses optimism that his team can overcome this deficit.

"Time to make history, fellas," Edwards said to his teammates, per The Athletic. "I still don't feel like they can beat us, bro. We haven't all been clicking at one time. One game. One game."

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

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