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 that the Knicks finished eight games under .500. For the majority of this century, expectations have been nonexistent, with the team winning one playoff series in a 22-year span.
“Now, the building is levitating,” King said. “The fans are so excited about the possibilities. And I love what I’m watching with this team. They’re gonna have a tremendous amount of success because they love competing. You have to have that mindset. Under Thibodeau, this team is so well prepared. They will be in a position to win at a very high level. The front office has done a tremendous job. Thibodeau is a tremendous coach and the players have really responded to him.”
In Brunson’s absence, King has been most impressed by fourth-year guard Miles McBride, who entered last night averaging 17 points, 5.3 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in his previous three games, while hitting 10-of-18 3-pointers and providing a much-needed defensive upgrade on the perimeter.
“Look at what McBride’s done with Brunson out,” King said. “That’s what it’s all about, someone stepping up. That’s the key.”
King makes multiple trips to the Garden each season, sitting courtside, appreciating the adoration he still receives for his brief and unforgettable run of the mid-’80s.
He has two more visits planned before the conclusion of the regular season.
Then, the playoffs, where the Knicks are currently positioned to face the Pistons in the first round, followed by a potential second-round matchup with the Celtics.
It is the same path that King and the Knicks followed during the electric 1984 postseason.
“You can’t think about the end of the road,” King said. “Of course the fans are gonna think about the playoffs and the potential for a championship, but you have to think about where you’re at. That’s how I played, one game at a day, succeed each night, and know along the way there’s the potential that you have injuries, like Jalen Brunson.
“You have to have a tremendous amount of focus to arrive at the outcome that you desire.”
