Playoffs in Brooklyn! NETS CLINCH FIRST READING BERTH SINCE 2015

The Brooklyn Nets have officially won a playoff spot. Oh, what a long and strange trip it has been.

After a win against the Bucks and a little help from the Raptors over the Heat earlier Sunday, Brooklyn officially made the unlikely.

They are just not supposed to be here. Nobody thought that they would be.

But here they are.

The Nets (41-40) consolidated their place with a 108-96 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night. It was their second straight win and their third in the last five games against top teams including Boston, Milwaukee and now Indiana. The 41 wins mark the most since the 2013-2014 season.

It's better: since the Detroit Pistons lost earlier, the Nets will be the seventh seed at worst. With a magic defeat tonight, they will win the sixth seed.

They had to go through the last team that made the post-season to go to the post-season to Bojan Bogdanovic and Thaddeus Young. This never seemed to be in doubt.

The Nets came out of the gates with a ton of energy and tenacity, represented by a 9-0 run to start the game. They flirted with a double-digit advance almost all the time, but Indiana would not go away. The Nets just did not have to pay on the ground, so they did the little things.

They beat the Pacers 52-33, including 17 offensive rebounds.

They hit 17 out of 22 off the line, while allowing only seven free throws to Indiana.

Joe Harris led the way in the first half – hitting 7 of 9 on the field and 4 of 6 from 3-18. Indiana trailed and reduced his deficit to six, but the Nets responded with a 9-0 score. extended 17-7, giving them a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Indiana made his last effort and got a goal at 10, but D'Angelo Russell ended the race quickly with a double to finish his night, equalizing Drazen Petrovic for the most points in a season.

He was not so close to the goal, but the difference maker this season was the end of tight games. The Nets finished 19-9 in games decided by five or less. Last year, they had 18-32 in games in which they were five points with five minutes or less.

Nobody thought that would happen, but they proved that everyone was wrong.

The Nets lost Caris LeVert early in the season due to a serious injury. They went on a skid and had an 8-18 record with potential lottery thoughts in their minds. I asked a source close to the Nets if they were deflated after losing an eighth consecutive game.

"Deflated? Nah. We have another game tomorrow. "

And it's the mentality that brought them. They won seven consecutive games – 20 of the next 26. They are 33-22 since December 7th. From Angelo Russell became All-Star and everyone has followed suit. Behind his lead and the return of LeVert, the Nets rallied late in the season and won when they needed it the most.

Look where this team was when Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson took more than three years back.

Watch them now.

Word Culture is not something to be thrown lightly. That means something in Brooklyn where players have revitalized their careers and where the story of the organization has changed 180 degrees.

It was not so long ago that the Nets were the laughing stock of the league for having no choice. Now they are a breath of fresh air for the league. And this is just the beginning with three selections and enough space for a maximum free agent in the summer of 2019.

But for the moment, let's take advantage of it.

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CELEBRATING WITH WINE?

Kenny Atkinson admitted that he would have a glass of wine to celebrate … or too long until Wednesday.

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The Nets will face the Miami Heat in the last game of the season Wednesday at home.