The Nets are too smart, too savvy and too experienced to say it’s over. But history says it’s over.

Never has an NBA team trailed a best-of-seven series 0-3 and rallied to win. Never.

That’s the hole the Knicks find themselves in after last night’s gut-wrenching 81-78 loss to the Nets. The Knicks had chances to make this a series but with eyes on victory, they blinked.

Another blink and the season is over.

“We’re going to have to find a way,” said Knicks forward Kurt Thomas. “We’ve been down before.”

This group of Knicks has never been down before in the playoffs. There is no Jason Kidd to turn to. The Knicks’ most experienced player, the injured Allan Houston, looked on from the bench.

It’s almost impossible for a player who’s not playing to spark his teammates with words. Houston said he’s reason for hope, but it wasn’t convincing. The Knicks have been on their heels this entire series, unable to contain the Nets’ fast break and unable to respond to the Nets’ physical play.

“We can’t look at the series,” Houston said. “We have to look at the improvement we’ve made from game to game. We have to focus on game strategy and not on emotions or odds. We have to focus on what we’ve done well; what we’ve learned.

“We’re not going to give in.”

Neither are the Nets. Their mandate is to get back to the NBA Finals and they’re not about to let the franchise that casts a giant shadow get in the way. Even when the Nets went cold in the fourth quarter, the Knicks couldn’t take advantage.

“I believe we can win,” Stephon Marbury said when asked the chances of the Knicks winning Game 4 Sunday night. “There is no doubt in my mind that we can win.”

The Knicks were hoping their first home playoff game in more than 1,000 days would provide the spark they needed to topple a Nets team that was dominant in the first two games. But the Knicks scored just 15 points in the first quarter, putting themselves in a hole for the game, and ultimately, the series.

“Everyone was trying to get the home jitters out of the way,” said rookie forward Michael Sweetney. “We didn’t make some shots and now we’re down 3-0. Right now we’re going to have to play like professionals and don’t give up.”