On Sunday, April 7th, the Brooklyn Nets, led by D’Angelo Russell (pictured), secured a playoff spot for the first time since the 2014-15 NBA season. The Nets, now with a 41-40 record, secured their playoff spot with a 108-96 win over the Indiana Pacers, who have already secured the fifth seed in the East.

The win ensures that the Nets cannot finish any lower than the seventh seed. The 41 win mark is the highest the Nets have hit since their last playoff appearance and comes on the heels of an 8-18 start at the beginning of this season.

This is remarkable as up until recently, the Nets had what was considered to be one of the worst front offices in sports. This is due to a trade in 2013, where then-GM Billy King traded 3 then-future first round picks (2014, 2016, 2018) for aging stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry.

The trade was supposed to make the Nets title contenders, but instead of winning a championship they won a single playoff series. Ever since that trade, the Nets have been fighting an uphill battle, that is, until now.

“Like I told them — no one believed we could do it,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Those are the most beautiful moments in sports. I’ve never won an NBA championship, but next to that, we’ve proven everybody wrong: The predictions, even their head coach. They proved me wrong. They’re much better than I thought they were going to be. I didn’t know that tightness until I got to know that group.”

The Nets, depending on what seed they finish, will face either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs. This playoff berth is huge for any fan of the Nets and will hopefully be the first of many to come in the next couple of years.