The New York Knicks needed to score the ball in the fourth quarter of Game 4. And Mikal Bridges was struggling. So, Mike Brown benched him. But not for Landry Shamet, who had gotten heavy minutes prior. Not for Deuce McBride, either. No. Brown decided to roll with Jose Alvarado, and it paid off in a huge way.
Through the first three quarters of the game, Alvarado had scored zero points. He had grabbed zero rebounds. He had dished out zero assists. But Brown still rocked with him anyway. And in the final frame, Alvarado put up eight points, two rebounds, and three assists, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep range.
Brown’s risk paid off, and it won the Knicks the game.
Mike Brown playing Jose Alvarado over Mikal Bridges was huge
New York was down 29 points. They were dead in the water. The San Antonio Spurs were poised to head back to Texas, having tied the series at two apiece after being down 0-2.
It looked like the Knicks were lost. Completely unprepared to play after a loss – something they hadn’t had to do in over a month of playoff action. In the first half, that was reality.
Yet the Knicks slowly chipped away. They scored, got stops, scored, got stops. And in the fourth quarter, New York gave itself a chance. The Knicks were within striking distance.
But it was time for Brown to make a tough decision. Does he rock with Bridges, trusting the guy who is getting paid a ton of money? Does he go back to Shamet, who was quiet all night but had played big minutes in the series?
The answer? Neither. It was Alvarado. Brown decided to roll with the energy. The defensive ball pressure. The spark plug that is Alvarado. And it was an unbelievably impressive decision.
It takes a lot of guts to bench a star like Bridges. Brown has done it before, and it worked then. And in the biggest moment of the season, he did it yet again, this time, for someone different.
Alvarado stepped up to the plate. He met the moment. He gave the Knicks crucial points at a point in the game when they needed all the points they could get.
It was an incredible decision by Brown. One that helped New York finish off one of the best wins in the history of the NBA Finals.
Alvarado took center stage in the fourth. And Brown put him there.
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