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BOSTON — Jose Alvarado officially arrived at the end of the third quarter.
The newest Knick was on defense and switched onto Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who saw the size mismatch and tried to back Alvarado into the paint.
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Alvarado, generously listed at 6 feet, didn’t give an inch. He took the contact, waited for Brown to turn for a shot, stripped the ball clean and gave the Knicks bench a hometown flex. It was Alvarado’s first steal with the Knicks and the highlight of a successful debut, an 111-89 victory over the rival Celtics in Sunday’s pre-Super Bowl matinee.
Jose Alvarado #5 of the Knicks knocks the ball away from Payton Pritchard #11 of the Celtics during the second quarter on Feb. 8, 2026. Getty Images
The transition for Alvarado was seamless. At least in Game 1.
“It just feels like it was meant to be,” Alvarado, the Brooklyn product, said. “It feels like I’ve been part of it for a while, even though it was the first game. Like it felt like nothing. It felt like home. It felt like it was supposed to happen this way.
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“And I’m glad I did.”
Alvarado finished with 12 points, two steals and six deflections in 25 minutes on 5-for-12 shooting. His other steal — this time in the fourth quarter — was also splendid. He airballed a 3-pointer from the corner, recovered to sneak behind Brown for a strip, then buried a layup before yelling at the Celtics bench.
Welcome to the Alvarado experience.
“[People on the Celtics bench] basically said, ‘You’re going to miss.’ And I said, ‘That’s how you get it back, you know what I’m saying?’ ” Alvarado said. “Who cares about the miss if you get it back.”
The 27-year-old ball of energy arrived as advertised, providing a feisty defensive presence to muck up the game and help Jalen Brunson, who pummeled the Celtics with 31 points in 33 minutes.
Jose Alvarado #5 of the New York Knicks drives to the basket against the Celtics on Feb. 8, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
“That’s him,” Josh Hart said of Alvarado, who was earmarked by Mike Brown for 22 minutes but expanded it to 25. “He’s a really good on-ball…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/feisty-jose-alvarado-gives-knicks-202553097.html
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Publish date : 2026-02-08 20:25:00
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