Knicks Broadcaster Explains Lack of Catchphrase in NBA Finals Opener

Many viewers were shocked that the longtime voice of the New York Knicks bottled his traditional catchphrase during the NBA Finals' opener.

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

New York Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen left fans craving more "Bang!" for their buck during Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals.

A Thursday thriller ended with a bang, but without a "Bang!," which Breen often declares when a player hits a big shot. Completing yet another improbable postseason comeback, the Indiana Pacers took the opener thanks to a game-winning double from franchise face Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds remaining. The points earned were the final additions of a 111-110 final over the Oklahoma City Thunder, which gives the Pacers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven set.

Calling the game for ABC, an exuberant Breen heralded Haliburton's shot by declaring "It's good! It's good!" but fans were shocked he did not utter his famous catchphrase that has accompanied some of the greatest tallies in recent NBA memory. Breen addressed the absence in a conversation with Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated, remarking that he was "getting destroyed" on social media for the apparent snub.

“In hindsight, because of the magnitude of the shot, it certainly would’ve worked and made people happy, but I don’t premeditate the call and it was such an unbelievable shot," Breen told Traina. "If he was beyond the three-point mark, I probably would’ve said ‘Bang!’”

Breen further elaborated that he usually saves the "Bang!" for three-point shots, noting that he made an exception for a Kobe Bryant overtime double during a first-round win for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006.

With Breen on the mic for his 20th edition of the NBA Finals, "Bang!" has been a mainstay of the championship series, which continues on Sunday night in Oklahoma City (8 p.m. ET, ABC). Thursday's game was the 106th Finals game narrated by Breen, who is also the Knicks' primary play-by-play man on MSG Network.

Though he has yet to use a rare "double bang" in the Finals (last used for Mikal Bridges' overtime buzzer-beater in Portland in March), Breen has stated that only a Knicks championship would earn three consecutive utterances.

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