Knicks Have Mike Breen and Everyone Else Fired Up

Mike Breen can't help but gush over the New York Knicks' modern success.

Dec 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; MSG announcer Mike Breen during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Mike Breen believes that New York Knicks fans are getting a decent "BANG!" for their buck thanks to the modern edition.

Breen gushed about the active Knicks in an interview with Neil Best of Newsday, offering his thoughts on what has New York ticking. The longtime Manhattan play-by-play man called this year's efforts a "crescendo" of what's been building in the last two seasons, which saw the Knicks return to championship-relevant discussions across the Association.

“Last year was as much fun as I've had in a long, long time doing Knick games. And this year is the same thing," Breen told Best. “Not only is it clearly a successful team, but it's a team that plays so well together. They're so connected. It reminds you of the glory days, how those teams played so well, and the group of players is just high character, great guys, unselfish, true professionals."

Jan 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett (9) hugs New York Knicks announcers Walt Frazier (left) and Mike Breen (right) before a game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The iconic voices of Breen and Walt "Clyde" Frazier were forced to narrate plenty of woebegone campaigns in recent history: between 2002 and 2022, the Knicks won but one playoff series and appeared on the bracket just five times. Jalen Brunson's arrivial in the summer of 2022 began to flip the franchise's fortunes. Of note, New York is one of only three teams (alongside champions Denver and Boston) to win at least one playoff series in each of the last two years.

Some felt that the Knicks were in danger of regressing with so many new pieces, namely cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns, in tow, but New York (34-17) is dispelling that notion and then some: since a tepid 10-8 start, the Knicks have won 24 of 33, including seven of their past eight. Brunson and Towns are on their way to open the NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco later this month and New York sits in a comfortable third spot on the current Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

Breen, whose 26th anniversary of calling games alongside Frazier on MSG Network landed on Wednesday, is happy for patient Knicks fans, who have hardly hesitated to express their appreciation for the current group upon visiting Manhattan.

“To hear the Garden sound like it's been sounding the last few weeks, that's what I always feel so happy for," Breen said. "Maybe I'm not objective on this, but if there's any fan base that deserves to have a team like this, it’s the Knicks fans."

“I remember years where they won 19 games, you’d be at a game in April, and they've been eliminated from playoff contention for months ... Now, all these meaningful games, it's just so much fun to be a part of, so much fun to be in the Garden to watch these guys play.”

Though the Knicks will be on the national airwaves on Saturday night, Breen will be on the mike at MSG when New York faces the Boston Celtics (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

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