Exclusive | The Knicks moment that made Bernard King a certified believer in this team

It has been nearly four decades since Bernard King stepped on the Garden floor wearing orange and blue.It has been more than a quarter century since the Brooklyn-born star lived in the Metropolitan Area. Still, the 68-year-old Hall of Famer is spending his golden years as he spent his adolescence, enthralled by the Knicks’ pursuit of a championship.

Even during the recent five-game West Coast swing, even as fourth quarters crossed into early morning in his Atlanta-area home. “I watch all the games, are you kidding me?” King said in a recent interview with The Post.“My heart is always with the Knicks.

I love the Knicks … I’m a Knick.” While his spiritual successor, Jalen Brunson, has been sidelined by an ankle injury — missing his fifth straight game last night against the Heat — King has found new reason to believe in the team. Wednesday’s thrilling overtime win against the Trail Blazers will be remembered for Mikal Bridges’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer.King’s focus remains stuck on the bizarre turnover that preceded it, committed by Josh Hart, who illegally ran the sideline on an inbounds play, sending the crowd into a frenzy and putting Portland in position to regain the lead in the final seconds. “If you saw that shot on the sideline, no one had their head down,” King said.

“They were not despondent.They were unified.

That’s the mark of a team that can achieve tremendously because it shows they have confidence regardless of the situation.They know they can still win.” There is confidence the Knicks can win on any night — unless they’re facing one of the league’s top title contenders (Celtics, Cavaliers and Thunder), who are a combined 7-0 against Tom Thibodeau’s team. Still, the Knicks are on pace to complete their first back-to-back 50-win seasons in three decades, led by the franchise’s first pair of All-Star teammates (Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns) to earn starting spots in 50 years. It was only two years ago...