Jose Alvarado backs up his talk and then some in heroic Game 4 effort for Knicks

Jose Alvarado was surrounded by microphones in the bowels of Madison Square Garden, but spoke like he was still on the streets of Brooklyn. He spoke with loyalty toward Jalen Brunson, the recipient of a Game 3 cheap shot from Victor Wembanyama.He spoke without fear of the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 superstar, who stands at least 17 inches taller and outweighs him by at least 75 pounds. “He got away with that one,” Alvarado said before Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

“That’ll be the last one.” Alvarado then backed it up in the best imaginable way. The boy who grew up a Knicks fan in Brooklyn became a franchise legend Wednesday night in Manhattan, stepping in for the struggling Mikal Bridges down the stretch and producing all of his eight points, three assists and two rebounds in the final 10 minutes of the Knicks’ record-setting, 29-point comeback that produced a 107-106 win over the Spurs. The Knicks acquired Alvarado from New Orleans on Feb.5, hoping his contagious energy would be the final piece to a championship team.

Now, they are one win from the team’s first title in 53 years. “He checked into the game and changed the game,” Landry Shamet said.“That’s when things really started to shift.

He’s a spark.The energy he brings for us … he was ready to go and stepped in and made some huge plays for us.

He was fantastic.” Before the fourth quarter, Alvarado’s only impact on the game came when he deliberately took out Wembanyama’s legs in the second quarter and was called for a foul.Still, Brown turned to the once-undrafted guard with 9:46 to play and the Knicks trailing 93-75.  Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.

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Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Alvarado offered immediate hope with a 3-pointer on his first touch.He then assisted Kar...