The Knicks walked into Friday night’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals with a bench that has turned into one of the sharpest edges in the postseason. New York’s reserves had outscored opposing benches by 5.1 points per game, the best mark in the playoffs, and had built a 1-0 series lead by winning the bench battle 28-20 in Game 1.
That is why the Knicks schedule is suddenly being read through the second unit as much as through the starting five. Through 15 playoff games, New York’s reserve players had outscored opponents by 77 points, a steady run that has kept the Knicks in control even when the game has shifted around them. Landry Shamet led the group in Game 1 with 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting, Mitchell Robinson added six rebounds while playing with a broken pinkie, and Deuce McBride finished with six points, four assists and a plus-11 rating.
Jose Alvarado gave that depth one of its clearest moments. When Jalen Brunson went to the locker room in the first quarter after Shamet accidentally knocked Harrison Barnes into Brunson’s right knee, Alvarado stepped in and kept the offense moving. He scored seven points in the second quarter and drew a goaltending call on Victor Wembanyama, the kind of burst that can change a Finals game in a few possessions.
Alvarado said the moment felt like the one he had been chasing since he was a kid in Brooklyn. After Brunson left the court, he said this was what he had worked for and that he wanted to take advantage of the chance and do what the team needed. Josh Hart said the Knicks got Alvarado from the Pelicans on Feb. 5 and described him as a player willing to do whatever it took to get on the floor, with the kind of energy that pushes the pace and makes the team play faster.
That is also what makes the next step matter. The Knicks have already shown they can survive a Finals game with their bench carrying real weight, but Brunson’s knee check remains the one detail hovering over Game 2. If he is ready, New York keeps the advantage of a reserve unit that has traveled all postseason. If he is limited, the Knicks already have evidence that the rotation behind him can hold the line.
