The New York Knicks overcame an early scare and beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals, a victory that depended as much on reserve energy as on their starters — most visibly when Jose Alvarado stepped in after Jalen Brunson went to the locker room for a right-knee check.
Alvarado, who scored seven points and grabbed four rebounds in the first half while Brunson was being checked, said afterward he wasn’t intimidated by the moment. "My second thought is, this is what I do. I wasn’t scared of the moment," he said, adding bluntly: "He better come back."
The bench supplied the margin: New York’s reserves combined for 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting, with Landry Shamet contributing 13 and Miles McBride adding six points, four assists and a plus-11. Mitchell Robinson chipped in with six rebounds. That production kept the Knicks afloat during the stretch when their starting point guard was unavailable and helped turn the game into a two-possession win.
Alvarado’s presence also produced a decisive, momentum-stalling play — he drew a goaltending call on Victor Wembanyama — and shrugged off talk of fear with another short claim: "I don’t fear nobody." On the same possession he said, "He’s a great player, he’s going to block shots regardless of what you do. That one went my way."
Teammates and veterans noticed the reaction. Josh Hart, who said Alvarado was obtained from the Pelicans on Feb. 5, acknowledged a rough first moment for the rookie guard but praised what followed: "Jose was kind of like a deer in the headlights at first," Hart said, "He goes out there, pushes the pace, makes us play fast. Defensively gives good minutes and gives contagious energy." Landry Shamet summarized the unit’s chemistry plainly: "Our bench unit, we have a really unique group."
The reliance on reserves here was not an accident. Heading into Friday night’s Game 2, the Knicks’ bench ranked first among postseason teams — they had outscored opponents by 5.1 points per game and, through 15 playoff games, were plus-77 overall against opposing benches. Those figures explain why New York could absorb Brunson’s temporary absence without ceding control of the floor.
Still, the moment exposed a fragile hinge in the Knicks’ Finals plan. Brunson’s exit for a knee check forced the coaching staff to lean on a rotation built in part to compensate for injuries and in part to supply tempo. That stretch underscored how much the series will depend on bench depth and whether Brunson is available at full strength.
The most immediate unresolved question now is Brunson’s status for Game 2. The Knicks got their result in Game 1, and Alvarado delivered a clear lift; what remains unresolved is how the team will balance that bench advantage with the risk of a limited Brunson. If Brunson is slowed, New York’s bench — already the postseason’s best — will need to carry more minutes and more of the late-game burden in San Antonio and beyond.
For Alvarado, who grew up in Brooklyn and said Wednesday that "This is something I live for, and I just want to take advantage of it and do what the team needs," the performance was both a personal statement and a practical one: the Knicks won a Finals opener without their starter for a spell because their reserves could close the gap. Whether that depth remains the decisive edge depends on how the Knicks manage Brunson’s knee and how the bench responds under the more intense scrutiny of the rest of the series.
