The sequence that sealed the Knicks' comeback and thrilled the pro-Knicks crowd at Barclays Center began with a block by Josh Hart and ended with a dunk by Julius Randle.
And, as Hart explained to the Post, its roots were in the first half when Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. made a layup.
“I knew he felt that way about me, so he changed his attitude a little bit. So I thought he was probably going to go play basketball because I thought he was being naive.” , Hart said after the Knicks defeated the Nets 108-103 on Tuesday. “Luckily, we were able to get some of that.”
It was Cam Johnson who rebounded Hart's block, but OG Anunoby quickly denied him at the rim.
Hart then tiptoed around the baseline, grabbed the boards, and threw a lead pass to Randle, who finished with a jam on Nick Claxton.
The Knicks, who led by 10 points heading into the fourth quarter, trailed by two points with one minute left.
Randle then put goggles over his eyes and performed a pantomime as chants erupted at the Barclays Center.
“Tunnel vision,” Randall explained of the goggle gesture. “The lights were on. It was special. We came back. The crowd really went crazy. It was great to hear the New York Knicks chants at Barclays. That's always fun.”
The final stretch was the Rundle experience. Mostly positive.
He made a 3-pointer with 2:19 left to give the Knicks the lead.
A little over 30 seconds later, he committed a terrible turnover. He was outstanding with his dunks in transition.
He then made two free throws with three seconds left to seal the victory, followed by a missed clutch foul shot by the Nets' best player, Mikal Bridges, with 90 seconds left.
In the end, he and Jalen Brunson once again each scored 30 points.
And for the second time this season, the Knicks defeated the Nets in Brooklyn.
After that, Tom Thibodeau also got fired up.
“I didn't think we played particularly well, but I like how we handled ourselves in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “That said a lot about who we are. On the bench, they were making a fuss and jumping all over the place. It closed the gap and gave us hope that, 'Okay, we can accomplish this.' It was done. And when the starters returned, they fed off that energy. Finding a way to win when you're not at your best is very important and that's what matters. Just find a way to win. I think our team is doing that. ”
The Knicks (27-17) have won four straight overall and remain a force after acquiring Anunoby.
They won on Tuesday despite trailing for much of the evening and coming back when it mattered most, as better teams tend to do.
Randle also went from a shaky performance to the best player on the court, winning a hustle game against Hart with seconds left.
“It starts with me, [Brunson]”Randall said. “We know we're getting a lot of attention, so we have to make the right plays. We didn't play well in the first and third, but like our coach said, we did our best when it mattered. I did my best.”
