That's what a lot of Nets basketball has felt like since the James Harden trade.

And not just for K D.

Kyrie and James, who approved positively lethal together offensively.

But really, for anyone on court with them.

Bradley, Beal, Collin Sexton, Bam.

Out of bio, you get a basket, you get a basket, you get a basket.

All of which only ramped up the anticipation going into last night's game between Brooklyn and the Clippers.

Kwan, Leonard and Paul George have both been on a tear this season and certainly capable of matching the Nets firepower while also remaining two of the best lock down defenders in the league.

Is this where the Nets bounty would finally run out?

Would Oprah abandoned them?

The short answer.

Nope.

Kyrie scored 39 as Brooklyn beat L.

A.

With the Nets showing off some improving late game execution and a little trickeration to boot her first Kyrie than Harden than K D.

And all three of these shots hit over Nick Batum, who had a rough fourth quarter.

Now Marcus Morris would help the clips answer with a three point play.

And then we got PG.

Take a look at this knock down dazzler, but it wasn't enough.

With just seven on the clock Kawai shooting his free throws, you can see coach Steve Nash telling Jeff Green leak toward the basket.

By the time L A realizes what's going on, Harden had thrown the Wes Unseld outlet green converts.

And, yeah, that's the ball game.

Sorry, Reggie Jackson.

You're not gonna make it in time and the Nets win.

But again, that's the short answer.

If you want to take a longer, more deep dive, go back to the second quarter.

When it was the Clippers who were up 11 in the Nets, who called time out during the break, you could see several of the players having intense conversations.

Discussions that Katie would later reveal had to do with team defense and how some of the Nets were over helping leaving the three point line vulnerable.

Brooklyn came out of that time out and promptly went on a 12 2 run, proving that when this team wants to drill down and focused defensively, they're capable of it.

Or how about the three minute stretch of the fourth quarter, the Nets held the Clippers scoreless.

You could watch Harden on Lou will.

You could watch Harden on Kauai.

You can watch Brooklyn as a whole, forcing the best three point shooting team in the league into taking tough shots.

That just did not fall.

And this was serious progress for the Nets, and you could tell after the game that they knew it.

There wasn't nothing easy, I'll tell you that.

I think they earned every point late in the game, and that's what we want.

At the end of the day, it's gonna be on the defensive end offensively when one of the best team that, you know in this league, you know, zombie man, because stops individually and then you know as, uh, our principles can we have each other's back on a consistent basis.

Keep pointing up, will keep getting better.

But when they put forth the effort like they did, tonight will be tough to beat.

In fact, Kyrie Irving was feeling good enough about what this game indicated long term for the Nets that he said this, you know, we know that they're in contention for, uh, you know, meeting us down the line.

So we wanted to come out and make an impression.

I felt like we did that.

Can't knock the confidence.

And look, Kyrie is not saying there that the Nets are finals ready.

Now.

This is one game, a game in which the Clippers did not have one of their better defenders and Patrick Beverley, a game in which Paul George would later complained he wasn't getting enough respect from the officials who Onley awarded him one trip to the free throw line.

But it was also a game in which the Nets proved to themselves that, yes, they may be Oprah Winfrey on offense.

But defensively, they could be something at least a little bit closer to Samuel L.

Jackson in Pulp Fiction, you know, and I will strike down upon the with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers.

Yeah, that would be quite a combo if they could get more consistent at pulling it off.

Richard, I know that my Samuel L Jackson Impressionists so fantastic you could barely speak after that.

But try Did that win over the Clippers last night.

Change your opinion of the next defense.

It all No, no, I wouldn't say that.

It was anything about changing my, uh, my opinion.

You know, we know that there are capable defenders there.

People.

There is a difference between not defending and being and really not having the ability and then being capable.

Kevin Durant is a capable defender.

You look at James Harden.

He has improved his defense, considering that it was such a criticism of him the last, like two or three years, he's actually improved.

And Kyrie Irving is a is A is a type of defender that can give you moments, if not long moments and stretches of quality defense.

But it's the team defense.

You don't have to be great individual defenders if you could be Ah, good team defensive group.

And I think that's one of the conversations that they said that they were having.

And it's true.

If there are solid team defense, then it takes stress off of people being individual defenders.

Yeah, and that that makes sense, you know, it really did.

That game changed my opinion of this Brooklyn Nets team because the Nets knew that this was a big game versus the Clippers and you know what that means?

We got maximum effort from all of them.

They were hustling all over the floor, getting out in transition.

Obviously, their defense still needs work.

But what I actually have really noticed over the last few games was that they're really starting to establish rules.

We all know that.

Katie Kevin Durant is gonna go out there and get his 15 to 20 shots and be a bucket.

Kyrie is gonna go and take over when rolling late in games.

And now we're hearing, Ah, lot.

And I don't know if you guys caught this a lot about James Harden, the playmaker.

Oh, he's a playmaker, something he seems really comfortable being now with Brooklyn, Not in Houston, but it's all good.

I digress.

Which a lot of people at first were nervous about.

Will he be okay with being that guy for this team?

Toe win now, James Harden.

He messed around and got a triple double.

He's leading the league in assists, I think.

11.

The next close guy is a Russell Westbrook with nine.

As long as those three play hard on both ends, I think that they're gonna be just fine because they have enough veteran savvy defensively to be able to cover.

Those blind spots are like that.

You can take the girl out of Houston, but you can't take the Houston out of the girl R Texas native today.

And look, I do think the fact that Harden has adjusted the way he said he would, but people were asking questions.

Did he really mean it?

I think that has been so huge for them.

I agree.

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