Josh Hart wasted no time clowning Jose Alvarado after the New York Knicks officially punched their ticket to the NBA Finals.
Shortly after New York closed out the Eastern Conference Finals with a dominant 130-93 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hart posted a photo to his Instagram Story showing Alvarado smiling next to the Eastern Conference trophy aboard the team plane.
“Changed this broke boys life 😂😂,” Hart wrote while tagging Alvarado in the post.
The joke quickly started making rounds online as Knicks fans celebrated the franchise reaching the Finals for the first time since 1999. In the photo, Alvarado appeared thrilled while sitting beside the trophy in full Knicks gear following the biggest win of his NBA career.
Alvarado’s Finals appearance with the Knicks carries a special hometown element. The guard was born in Brooklyn and played high school basketball at the legendary Christ the King High School in Queens before eventually starring at Georgia Tech and making a name for himself in the NBA with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Earlier this season, the Knicks acquired Alvarado in a trade with New Orleans, bringing the scrappy guard back home just months before the franchise’s historic playoff run.
The Knicks’ blowout victory over Cleveland capped off a massive moment for the organization under head coach Mike Brown. For longtime fans, the Finals berth carried even more meaning considering the franchise had spent nearly three decades trying to get back to this stage.
The emotional moment sparked huge reactions from celebrity Knicks supporters as well. Cameras caught diehard fans like Timothée Chalamet, Spike Lee, and Tracy Morgan celebrating wildly as it became clear New York was finally heading back to the Finals.
