New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado made a surprise appearance Monday on TNT’s halftime show and hilariously gave Kenny Smith the “Grand Theft Alvarado” treatment in the process.
With Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks at halftime, Smith led their analysis from the gigantic video board on set. In typical fashion, Smith raced over from his chair but decided to dribble a ball on his way over.
Alvarado then raced in from behind the scenes and swiped the ball away from Smith. The sequence was very similar to what the undrafted rookie did throughout the season when he would hide in a corner and force steals from the backcourt.
"Grand theft Alvarado!"@AlvaradoJose15 got the steal on @TheJetOnTNT in Studio J 🤣 pic.twitter.com/potDB1PTvC
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 10, 2022
Alvarado proved to be quite the thief this season, totaling 71 steals in 54 games. He finished fourth in total steals among all first-year players in just 834 total minutes. In comparison, teammate Herb Jones, who led the class with 130 steals, logged 2,335 minutes.
He became a bit of a household name during the postseason after giving Chris Paul fits throughout their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. He earned plenty of praise from fans given his infectious playing style on both ends of the court.
Certainly, the rise of Alvarado from undrafted to stealing the show at halftime in the playoffs on TNT was remarkable to see. Fortunately, the fans had at least one more opportunity to see him on Monday.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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