A former New Orleans Pelicans fan favorite, Jose Alvarado, celebrated on Saturday night as his New York Knicks won the NBA finals.
While the New Orleans Pelicans didn't bring home any gold this season, fans can at least celebrate a former favorite as Jose Alvarado is now an NBA Finals champion with the New York Knicks.
Few players in the league are beloved by their former team as much as Alvarado is. He always gave his hardest effort for the Pelicans, embraced the city and was simply just easy to root for. It was bittersweet for many in New Orleans as he got traded away at the deadline for second-round picks.
The positive side to the trade is that he got sent to his hometown of New York. For someone as passionate as Alvarado is, returning home and getting to be a part of the first Knicks finals win since 1973 obviously means the world.
He spoke with NBA TV's Chris Haynes and former NBA star John Wall after the game and shared some of his immediate thoughts on winning it all:
"Just lost for words, man. I'm a kid from the projects. Like, if you go down my storyline, it's obviously a special moment for just putting the Knicks jersey on. But I'm literally a kid, that, you know, I come from where the fans come from, these streets. And now I'm here. I won a championship with the New York Knicks. And nobody ever could take this away from me. I'm just so happy to say that I'm a part of this."
While Alvarado might not have won Finals MVP or been a star of the team, he did play a crucial role in the finals. He had a major, efficient eight points and was a +11 from his clutch contributions to New York's historic comeback in game four. He was +85 in his minutes from this playoff run. That's what he's all about.
