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Mike Breen Admits That We Almost Got a Triple ‘BANG!’ in the NBA Finals

If Jalen Brunson’s three-pointer at the very end of Game 4 had gone in, the ABC play-by-play voice would’ve given us a historic call.
Jimmy Traina|
Knicks-Spurs was the 21st NBA Finals that Mike Breen has called for ABC/ESPN.
Knicks-Spurs was the 21st NBA Finals that Mike Breen has called for ABC/ESPN. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

1. You would think that it’s impossible to come up with any criticisms of Knicks star Jalen Brunson at this moment. Unfortunately, there is one blemish on his record.

You’ll recall that the Knicks made history in Game 4 by coming back from a 29-point deficit to beat the Spurs on an OG Anunoby tip-in after a missed three-pointer by Brunson.

While Madison Square Garden exploded after Anunoby’s tip in, it’s hard to imagine just how unglued that building would’ve become if Brunson’s shot from downtown had been good.

We also now know that if Brunson had drained the three, we would’ve been treated an unprecedented broadcasting moment.

On this week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina (which dropped on Tuesday instead of Thursday this week), I had this exchange with the voice of the NBA Finals, Mike Breen.

Me: If Brunson hit the three, would we have gotten a triple bang for Mike Breen?

Breen: Yes. … I can't do a triple “BANG!” on a tip in. I just couldn’t do it. So, I did a triple, “It’s good! It’s good! It’s good!”

There have been 11 double “BANG!” calls in Breen’s career. It’s downright painful to know just how close we came to the first-ever triple “BANG!” in NBA history.

During the podcast, I asked Breen where this NBA Finals ranked among the 21 he has called in his career.

“For me, it’s certainly up there,” said Breen. “I never like to rank them. I always say ‘one of the…’

“Listen, I have not run from the fact that I've been a Knicks fan since I was a little boy. I've broadcast Knicks games for MSG for over half my life. So, it had real meaning for me to finally be able to call them in the Finals. And to have them win a championship in a game that I broadcast, it's beyond special. It was a bucket list thing.

“And then when it wound up being this great, compelling series with amazing comebacks and this special young player catapulting himself into the list of one of the greats of all time when it comes to the playoffs, it was like the perfect storm. It was just a wonderful experience.”

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina interview with Breen below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

2. The Knicks’ clinching victory over the Spurs on Saturday night drew 24.5 million viewers. The game peaked with 33 million viewers during the closing moments.

Overall, this was the most watched NBA Finals since 1998.

3. Whoever the “source” is in this article from Front Office Sports has to be one of the dumbest people on Earth. According to FOS, “some Fox executives are frustrated at what they perceive as ESPN’s lack of coverage around the first men’s World Cup held in the U.S. since 1994,” with one source telling FOS, “We’re talking about a historic performance by Team USA. Where in the hell was ESPN?”

First off, this makes Fox looks so weak. It’s admitting to being second-class citizens and begging the top dog to help it out. This is like Pepsi complaining that Coke isn’t helping them or Burger King crying about McDonald’s not promoting the Whopper. It’s just pathetic.

Secondly, did Fox promote the NBA Finals that aired on ABC on any of its sports programming in recent weeks? Of course not. Why should ESPN promote a Fox event?

Lastly, ESPN is not allowed to show video highlights from the World Cup. This is how Scott Van Pelt has to discuss the World Cup.

4. It’s always fun when local announcers get disgusted with their own team. SNY’s Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez were downright flabbergasted on Tuesday when the Mets ran out of challenges in the second inning.

5. I love ridiculously bizarre combo bets like this one.

6. If you’re going to the Knicks parade on Thursday, don’t bring anything. ANYTHING.

In addition, the weather is calling for thunderstorms during the parade.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Saw this news on Wednesday morning.

I’m not sure we need a fourth Austin Powers, but I can tell you that the first Austin Powers is one of my favorite comedies of all time. This scene was as good as it gets.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.

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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.

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