Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving discuss late comeback against Knicks, crosstown rivalry

Kevin Durant and the Nets coming back from 21 down to beat the Knicks in the Garden will always be a big deal. The game could be in October, December or in the preseason.

So when Durant led the Nets’ comeback in the second half and made play after play in the fourth quarter to seal the win on Wednesday, it marked a significant moment in the Knick-Net rivalry.

But the Nets could have been playing any team in the NBA on Wednesday and the win would have been significant.

Why? Brooklyn’s win kept them on pace to finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and host a Play-In game. If the Nets had lost Wednesday, they would have needed help from the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish in seventh. Now, if they beat Cleveland on Friday and the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, they will finish in seventh.

Also, the Nets executed on defense in the second half against New York, something they’ll need to lean on in the Play-In tournament and postseason.

“The second half is who we are, you know?” Durant said. “Thirty-one points (allowed), playing small, switching stuff, making second and third efforts and getting out and running.

“It was one of those nights, and I’m glad our shots started to fall there, because we had good energy on the defensive side of the ball. So when we do that, we put ourselves in good position. So it’s more about the habits and I like the habits we had in the second half.”

Durant was brilliant when the Nets needed him most. He had 13 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the fourth quarter, leading the Nets’ 14-4 run to close the game.

Durant and Kyrie Irving both played the entire second half on Wednesday, the second game of a back-to-back.

“We asked everyone to give to the team and put the team first and I thought you could see that on display (in the second half),” Steve Nash said. “Everyone was fighting. There was more energy. We were contesting parts of the floor better,…