NBA

Newly signed Bogans gives boost to short-handed Nets

Your team is up three, but 1.8 seconds remain on the clock and the other team has possession. Who do you want on the floor defending?

Some guy who has been with the team for less than half a day, right?

Well, that was exactly the case with Keith Bogans and the Nets last night. Bogans, signed earlier in the day, was re-inserted into the game for the final 19.3 seconds to bolster the Nets defense, which stood firm and preserved a 99-96 victory over Detroit last night at the Prudential Center.

“Yeah, I definitely was surprised to be on the floor,” said Bogans, who got a guaranteed pro-rated veteran’s minimum (about $600,000). “That shows coach has some confidence in me. It was defense, probably if it was offense, I probably wasn’t going to be on the floor.”

Bogans, an eight-year veteran with the reputation of a tough defender and good 3-point shooter, started all 82 regular-season games for the Bulls and then 16 in the playoffs last season. The Bulls, OK? So there are some questions that really don’t seem to have an answer: How did they really build the pyramids and why the heck was Bogans out of work so long?

“I have no clue,” said Bogans, a 6-foot-5 guard with a new agent — Dan Fegan, who also represents Dwight Howard. “I just could take care of what I could, and that’s work out every day. Stay ready.”

Though lesser types found jobs, Bogans stayed home. Turns out, that was fortunate for the Nets who had eight players available — including Bogans. The Nets were without MarShon Brooks (broken toe), DeShawn Stevenson (knee, out at least two weeks), Mehmet Okur (back), Johan Petro (stomach virus), Anthony Morrow (ankle), Brook Lopez (broken foot) and Damion James (foot surgery).

“We needed to get some veteran help,” said coach Avery Johnson, who easily could have skipped the “veteran” part. “Guys who know how to play. He obviously was a starter on a pretty good team last year with the Bulls. He’s in pretty good shape, not great game shape obviously. He hasn’t played in a game. But his body looks good.”

So the Nets gave Bogans a crash course in all things Avery yesterday.

“It’s just a matter of getting him having the right type of chemistry with our guys, getting him in sync with what we’re doing,” Johnson said.

“I’ve been sitting at home for a month-and-a-half, going crazy. It’s just good to be back on the court, be a Net, and play some basketball,” said Bogans, a 6.7 point-per-game career scorer whose signing forced the Nets to waive D-League call-up Larry Owens. “Basketball was hard to watch.

“I bring toughness — defense first. I’ll probably guard the best guy on the perimeter. That’s my job,” Bogans said.

Bogans also said it will take him time to get up to speed.

“I haven’t played since the Eastern Conference Finals last year,” he said. “I’ve been working out every day, but you can’t get in basketball shape unless you play.”

He will stand by that, especially after last night.

“I felt my wind was there, but legs felt a little shaky, but it felt good to be out there,” Bogans said. “It’s going to take a minute for me to get in basketball shape. There was a lot thrown at me, played like 15 minutes, I was trying to learn plays, but it was fun.”

Bogans went 18 minutes and made a huge basket, cutting and taking a Deron Williams pass for a score that put the Nets up six with 1:17 left.

“I just saw a guy standing around,” Bogans said. “I saw Deron with his back to the basket, he’d been telling guys to cut all game, so I just cut, he hit me. I just wanted to get the ball up on the basket. Keep it simple.”

Simple things can be things of beauty.

“Deron and I were laughing about it,” Johnson said. “We haven’t had a cut like that to the basket all year.”

fred.kerber@nypost.com