Jose Alvarado was the odd man out of Mike Brown's playoff rotation, but the New York Knicks still knew they could look to him for a boost off the bench. You can't beat the energy that he provides, and it was on full display in his best playoff showing yet.
He led the bench with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 from deep in 12 minutes in the Knicks' 126-97 Game 5 win over the Hawks to take the 3-2 series lead. To think that Alvarado didn't play at all in Game 1. Oh, how quickly things can change.
It is who Alvarado is, though. He's a sparkplug. He can come in and change the momentum entirely with his hustle and grit on the defensive end, taking it to a whole new level when he's knocking down his shots. He's made a pretty good case for himself the past two games by elevating New York's second unit.
Jose Alvarado is reminding Knicks who he is at the perfect time
New York sent Guerschon Yabusele to Chicago before the deadline, and thanks to the forward's generosity, the Knicks were able to acquire Alvarado from the Pelicans. It was a home-run move, or at least that's what everyone thought at the beginning. The vibes were high for a little bit, until they weren't.
He went from averaging a little less than 20 minutes per game in his first seven contests in NYC to averaging 13.5 minutes in 16 games in March. The heartwarming story surrounding Alvarado's return to where it all began for him quickly faded into the background.
You should've known he wasn't going to go out like that, though. It's no coincidence that his best postseason outings thus far happened at MSG. Alvarado got to experience the energy of the crowd during the regular season, but that doesn't compare to what it becomes during the playoffs. Hearing his fellow New Yorkers chant his name has to be something that'll play over and over in his head.
The Knicks brought Alvarado back to help them in their quest for a championship. All hope wasn't lost for the guard after he found himself sitting outside of the rotation, just like it wasn't for New York after it dropped Game 3 in Atlanta. What's helped, of course, is that they're getting the kind of production they needed from the guard.
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