Mike Brown’s bold Jose Alvarado gamble saves Knicks in Game 4 comeback

SAN ANTONIO — Before Game 4, Mike Brown was asked about the offensive tweak he made in the first round of the playoffs and if he would consider something similar in the NBA Finals. 

“You always keep trying to find ways to make adjustments,” the first-year Knicks coach said. “Sometimes they’re subtle. Sometimes they’re big. That’s what our job is as a staff, is to keep trying to help our players as much as possible.”

This was a radical change, much like the decision to play through Karl-Anthony Towns on offense against the Hawks. 

Mike Brown addresses the media after the Knicks’ historic 107-106 win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

In 17 playoff games, Jalen Brunson and Jose Alvarado didn’t share the court once. They did play together some during the regular season, and they had success. Across 114 minutes spanning 14 games, the Knicks outscored the opposition by 15.8 points per 100 possessions. 

In Game 4 of the Finals, with the Knicks down big and in danger of blowing a 2-0 lead in the series, Brown paired the two small guards again. 

It worked better than anyone could have anticipated, a major factor in their Finals-record comeback from 29 points down. In the 12 minutes they shared the court, the Knicks outscored the Spurs by a whopping 21 points. 

“I think he did a great job of coming in and changing the game,” Brunson said. 

Alvarado, the gritty 6-foot guard from Brooklyn, scored eight big points in the win, all coming in the second half, and added three assists and two rebounds.

Jose Alvarado celebrates during the Knicks’ historic Game 4 comeback win over the Spurs. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

He alleviated ballhandling responsibilities for Brunson against the Spurs pressure and gave the Knicks another player capable of breaking down San Antonio’s defense. 

“Jose has been good in the pick-and-roll. Jose has been good touching the paint, and if Jalen wanted to get off the ball for a few possessions, Jose could handle it, and he could touch the paint and make the game easier for others,” Brown said. “If Jalen was on the ball and the ball got sprayed and it found Jose, Jose can then touch the paint with his speed. So that’s all I was trying to do, is see if we can touch the paint a little bit more with the two guards out there while the floor was spaced the right way.”

Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride and Landry Shamet were all struggling, so Brown took a shot.

One thing Alvarado has established since his arrival from the Pelicans in early April is he has no fear of the moment.

That was evident in Game 1 when he came up big when Brunson left the game with a right knee injury, and it was clear in the dramatic fourth-quarter rally, Alvarado scoring five big points in a row for the Knicks to cut the deficit to four with 3:07 remaining. 

“Him just being himself,” Brunson said, “propelled us to a win.”