The Brooklyn Nets have turned things around in a major way after a miserable start to the season.
Among those expressing their enthusiasm for the stunning reversal is none other than Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.
The Lakers legend took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to tout the Nets as a major factor in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, anointing them the "biggest threat" to the Celtics' hopes of repeating as conference champions.
Johnson also sung the praises of interim head coach Jacque Vaughn, touting him as the favorite for Coach of the Year, and called for Nets owner Joe Tsai and general manager Sean Marks to step up and sign Vaughn to a long-term deal.
Johnson also declared that embattled point guard Kyrie Irving has returned to playing at an All-Star level, spurred in part by his fourth-quarter heroics.
It's hard to argue with Johnson's analysis.
The Nets are finally playing the way many hoped they would at the outset of the Kevin Durant-Irving era, and Vaughn deserves a lot of credit for helping the team recover from its dreadful 2-5 start under former head coach Steve Nash. Irving, meanwhile, has played brilliantly and seemed to keep his antics in check after his unfortunate eight-game suspension.
A postseason collision with the Celtics and/or Milwaukee Bucks seems likely at this point, but there's still a lot of season left to play. Plus, the Nets are about to face one of their first big challenges since Vaughn took over and Irving returned, with Durant out for several weeks due to a sprained MCL in his right knee.
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