When the New York Knicks traded for Jose Alvarado ahead of February's trade deadline, consensus belief was that he was a perfect fit for the team.
A Brooklyn native who regularly displays that New York grit and toughness whenever he steps foot on the hardwood, the point guard was seen as someone who could give this club a personal, homegrown edge they hadn't had in ages.
Four months later, it seems these expectations have certainly been met, and Game 4 encapsulated this sentiment to a tee.
After seeing incredibly sporadic minutes of action on a game-to-game basis throughout the postseason, Alvarado logged 15 and a half on Wednesday night, providing relentless hustle, suffocating defense, and a red-hot shooting stroke to help play a major role in the club's historic 107-106 comeback win.
Following the contest, the point guard described his team's never-quit efforts in four perfect words: "That's just Knicks basketball."
New York showed a "never say die" attitude in Game 4, and Alvarado certainly played a part in instilling it in them on the night.
Jose Alvarado provided Knicks relentless attitude they needed
Alvarado's play proved contagious to this Knicks team that was once down 29 points, as he finished with eight points, three assists, and two rebounds while shooting 75.0 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from deep and registering a plus-11 plus-minus, tied for the third-best mark on the night.
His efforts even earned a round of applause from his head coach, Mike Brown, during his own post-game presser, saying "Jose was unbelievable," and that he personally "changed the game" for New York.
However, apparently, it was his ability to rally the troops back in the locker room that really changed the psyche of this team.
During their shared post-game presser, Karl-Anthony Towns (13 points, 10 rebounds) told reporters that the point guard told his teammates that, no matter what the end result of the game is, "we can't not work on our standards and be who we are."
Alvarado further elaborated on his halftime message, revealing that he said: "These next 24 minutes, we better bring it and show them how we really play basketball."
Clearly, in Alvarado's mind, the way New York finished is what he believes to be true Knicks basketball.
With this, it's no surprise that he admitted to the fact that he was "about to cry" after not only witnessing the team he grew up cheering for pull off such a storied feat and pulling to within just one win of an NBA Championship, but being a major reason for them doing so.
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