Julius Randle’s ‘tunnel vision,’ emphatic slam fuel Knicks’ turnaround in win

The defining sequence of the Knicks’ comeback — the one that set the heavily pro-Knicks crowd at Barclays Center into a frenzy — started with a Josh Hart block and finished with a Julius Randle dunk.

It also, as Hart explained to The Post, had roots in the first half when Nets guard Dennis Smith Jr. converted a layup.

“I knew that he had that against me and flexed a little bit. So I figured he’d probably go to the basket because he thought s–t was sweet,” Hart said after the Knicks beat the Nets on Tuesday, 108-103. “So luckily I was able to get a piece of it.”

Hart’s block was rebounded was Cam Johnson, who was promptly rejected at the rim by OG Anunoby.

Hart then tiptoed around the baseline to grab the board and throw a lead pass to Randle, who finished with a jam over Nic Claxton.

The Knicks, who trailed by 10 heading into the fourth quarter, were now up two with a minute left.

And Randle pantomimed goggles over his eyes as Barclays Center erupted in chants.

“Tunnel vision,” Randle explained of his goggle gesture. “It was lit. It was special. We came back. Crowd really got into it. It was good to hear the New York Knicks chants in Barclays. That’s always fun.”

The final stretch was the Randle experience. Mostly positive.

He nailed a 3-pointer to give the Knicks the lead with 2:19 left.

He committed a terrible turnover a little over 30 seconds later. He dunked emphatically in transition.

He then nailed two free throws to seal the win with three seconds left, which followed Mikal Bridges, the Nets’ best player, missing a clutch foul shot in the final 90 seconds.

In the end, he and Jalen Brunson each had 30 points again.

And for the second time this season, the Knicks beat the Nets in Brooklyn.

Tom Thibodeau was also fired up afterward.

“I didn’t think we played particularly well, but I love how we responded in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “That said a lot about who we are. The bench, they were hustling, flying all over the place. That closed the gap and gave us the hope that, OK, we can get this done. Then when the starters came back they fed off that energy. Finding a way to win when you’re not at your best is huge and that’s the bottom line. Just find ways to win. I think our team is doing that.”

The Knicks (27-17) have captured four straight overall and remain a force since dealing for Anunoby.

They won Tuesday despite trailing for most of the evening and picking it up when it mattered most, just as better teams tend to do.

They won the hustle game with Hart in the final seconds, when Randle also went from his uneven performance to the best player on the court.

“It starts with me and [Brunson],” Randle said. “We know we get a lot of attention so we have to make the right plays. We didn’t play the first and third well, but, like coach said, we played our best when it mattered.”