Adrian Wojnarowski on how health affects Nets playoff push ... and their off-season

In an interview just before the Hawks game and Mikhail Prokhorov press conference, Adrian Wojnarowski told WFAN's Joe and Evan that he believes the Nets success boils down to one word --"health, I think it's health," citing Deron Williams and Brook Lopez's confident play. He also says after the proposed deal for Reggie Jackson fell though at the trade deadline, the Nets realized that if they are going to win, they "had to figure out a way to make this work."

He also said that Lopez and the team now believe the big guy's foot issues are no longer as big a concern as they were, that  "there's confidence there health-wise, that the bone graft he got done--the same surgery Kevin Durant got done-- that that will rectify the foot injury."

Woj believes that confidence will play a big role this summer when the Nets and Lopez's agent sit down to talk contract.

Here's some of his quotes from the interview...

On the reasons behind the Nets resurgence...

"I think it's health. He's been healthier this year. Once they got past the trade deadline, too, Lionel Hollins hadn't played these guys. Brook Lopez wasn't going anywhere. Williams wasn't going anywhere. So now, they had to figure out a way to make this work.

"Now, I do think health, first and foremost, has been ... He's never been healthy really. You've seen his decline since he's come from Utah. This stretch right now, they've built this whole stretch around Deron Williams. And its hard for them to really compete iIf he's not healthy and playing well, and you look back the deal they didn't make and right now it looks like a pretty good idea that they didn't bring Reggie Jackson in and move Brook Lopez out. I mean Lopez is playing some of the best basketball of his career the last month."

On the team's and Lopez's confidence in his foot and how it could affect his free agency...

"There's confidence there health-wise, that the bone graft he got done--the same surgery Kevin Durant got done-- that that will rectify the foot injury. Now listen, that's not a guarantee but the percentages are in their favor that he will be able to play and that's obviously a consideration for him. It really depends on what direction the Nets want to go here and what their mandate is going forward."

On the Nets direction this summer...

"It's not clear to me what Prokhorov wants ... But I cannot imagine a scenario where you just let an asset like Brook Lopez walk away for nothing. To me, that's the least likely scenario. You can do a sign-and-trade, that's possible, but you're right, with him healthy, there are a lot of teams with cap space he could very well demand a max deal. That's just the nature of this league right now. There are a lot of teams with space than there are star players. So guys think they're going to get paid on the market for maybe not superstar production. They're going to get paid like superstars."

Woj said he believes that when all the smoke clears next week, the Nets and Celtics will make the playoffs.