The call was made, Jose Alvarado completed the job.
The New York City native provided a spark off the bench, though it was not enough, as the Knicks lost home-court advantage in this first-round series. They dropped Game 2, 107–106, giving the Hawks a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter at the Garden.
Acquired from the Pelicans at the trade deadline, Alvarado fell out of the rotation at the end of the season. But with Miles McBride and Landry Shamet struggling, coach Mike Brown moved Alvarado.
In nine minutes, the pesky guard had three assists and two rebounds and the Knicks outscored the Hawks by five.
In his second game as a Knick, Alvarado scored 26 points. He was going to be a major factor, until he wasn’t. The former Christ the King and Georgia Tech star was out of the rotation. His minutes dried up.
Alvarado didn’t pout. He should be prepared.
“I’m good. I’m resting. I’m ready for my moment. I’m ready for my name to be called, whenever that happens,” Alvarado said recently. “Like you said, I started here. It was the best way to start. So there’s only one way to go – down. We just stay there mentally. This is my home team. I love the organization, I love the Knicks. So whenever it’s Jose’s time, whenever that time is, I’m ready.”
Four years ago, Alvarado had a stellar performance in the playoffs and upset Chris Paul in a first-round series matchup with the Suns.
Two years later, Alvarado’s Pelicans were eliminated in the first round by the Thunder and struggled. He believes it is different.
“Obviously, I’ve been in the playoffs, but never — no disrespect to another team — that’s championship caliber,” Alvarado said. “I see what they’re seeing. We can get to that level. We’re really good. We just need to focus on the details and stay that way. What really stands in our way is ourselves. We just have to be consistent and confident in who we are.”
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