…and across the globe, hip-hop aficionados pray this isn’t the begining of a trend. From the New York Post’s Hassani Gittens.

Aspiring Manhattan rapper “M Bars” – actually Michael Barnes, 22 – beat out more than 700 contestants with an enthusiastic ode to the Atlantic Division leaders, called “Going Hard.”

“I understood that they were looking for an up-tempo-type track that makes people want to stand up,” said Barnes.

“I envisioned the Nets warming up to the song.”

The bouncy rap has references to players past and present, the coach and even the owner: “We brought Kidd from the Suns / Vince from the Raptors / elite in East / since Erving was in the rafters / Check the skybox / BlackBerry active / Making transactions / It’s Bruce Ratner!”

Sounds like a big “fuck you” to Rod Thorn if you ask me. Then again, I’m told Mike Gminski’s entry really sucked.