The New York Knicks had a brutal start to the second quarter of Game 2 against the Atlanta Hawks. Their bench unit, along with starter OG Anunoby, inherited an 11-point lead and turned it into a deficit.
Mike Brown responded with Jose Alvarado. After taking the guard out of the rotation entirely to end the regular season, and start the playoffs, he gave him a chance in just the second game of New York's series against Atlanta. And the guard delivered.
Knicks get spark they needed badly from Alvarado in Game 2 vs. Hawks
Mike Brown broke hearts all across New York City when he hinted ahead of the NBA Playoffs that Alvarado wouldn't be in his postseason rotation. The Knicks traded two second-round picks for Alvarado because they needed a ball handler and could definitely benefit from having someone else in the rotation who brought an indefatigable competitive spirit.
But Alvarado's late season struggles coincided with Jordan Clarkson completely reinventing his game, going from pure scoring artist to tenacious 94-foot defender and even someone who can help produce on the offensive glass.
That resulted in Alvarado falling out of New York's rotation, with Brown telling reporters ahead of the playoffs that his top nine for the playoffs would probably be the same group of players that got run in the team's late-season nail-biters against the Hawks and Celtics. Alvarado was not one of them.
And after he didn't get any burn in Game 1, it seemed like it might take a while – or an unfortunate injury – to see the Brooklynite on the court. But Landry Shamet's first half struggles, and the Knicks' general lack of fervor, created an opportunity for Alvarado. And he made the most of it.
In just about an 80-second stint, he flipped the energy on the court. And he clearly impressed his coach enough to get more burn in the second half. The guard even saw action in the fourth quarter, before being replaced by Jalen Brunson for the final five minutes of the contest.
Several Daily Knicks writers predicted a playoff resurgence for the 6-foot guard, with it taking him just two games to deliver some impact. Unfortunately for the Knicks, and their home crowd, it didn't ultimately result in a win. But it's hard to see what Alvarado was able to do against the Hawks' rotation and think that he won't end up deserving another shot.
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