Mike Breen
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| Mike Breen | |
| Born | May 22, 1961 New York City, New York, U.S.A. |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Journalist, Radio personality, Columnist, Sports commentator, Television personality |
Mike Breen (born May 22, 1961) is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC and the lead commentator for New York Knicks games on the MSG network. He also works NBA games for ESPN, and was formerly a play-by-play announcers for New York Giants preseason games, as well as for regular season NFL games on both FOX and NBC.
Breen, a 1983 graduate of Fordham University [1], is currently in his 14th season as an NBA broadcaster, with some of those 14 taking place while Breen worked for NBC up until 2002, the network's last year as both an NBA and WNBA broadcaster. He is also the main voice for New York Knicks games on MSG Network, taking over after Marv Albert left over a dispute with Knicks management. His broadcasting career started doing play-by-play for the Marist College Red Foxes basketball team in 1985.
Breen has done 4 Olympic Games in his career, 1 Winter Olympics and 3 Summer Olympics. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Breen called basketball, handling play-by-play for both the men and the women. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Breen called ski jumping.
From 1989 to 2000, Breen did the sports segment on the WFAN and nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning talk/comedy radio show. Breen became noted for his deadpan delivery of false sports news, such as in the mid-1990s reporting that in the previous night's Mets game, "Félix Millán went 4-for-4 with 3 runs scored." He continues to call into the program under the guise of "Bill from White Plains." His only claim as author is a book he wrote in fifth grade titled 'Frankie the squirrel', which was discovered in a radio interview with Steve True.
On February 8, 2006, with the departure of Al Michaels from the network, ABC announced that Breen would take over as the lead broadcaster for the NBA, including the NBA Finals.
Breen was in the booth for three notable NBA fights; the Miami Heat/New York Knicks fight in 1998, the Indiana Pacers/Detroit Pistons brawl in 2004 and the Denver Nuggets/New York Knicks fight in 2006.
Breen often says "Bang!" and "Puts it in!" after a clutch shot made in a game. Whenever a shot is blocked, he emphatically shouts "Blocked!" He is known to typically pull for the home team during his broadcasts. He is also a Mets fan and attends games with his sons, Mike and Matt, most notably and recently the 2006 NLCS. [2]
[edit] Notable games called
- 1998 NBA Playoffs, Game 4 - In the first of the three massive brawls Breen has covered, the New York Knicks and Miami Heat battled in a fight that included New York head coach Jeff Van Gundy hanging from the legs of Miami center Alonzo Mourning.
- 1999 WNBA Finals, Game 2 - In his stint as lead WNBA broadcaster for NBC, Breen called the league's most memorable game; with time running out between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets (and the Comets leading both the best-of-three series and the game), Liberty point guard Teresa Weatherspoon hit a shot from beyond halfcourt to win the game for New York.
- 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 7 - Breen (then filling in for Tom Hammond, who was recovering from heart surgery) called Game 7 of the East semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors; the game ended when Vince Carter's attempted game winner hit the rim and bounced off.
- 2002 Eastern Conference First Round, Game 5 - Filling in for an injured Marv Albert, Breen called a double-overtime deciding Game 5 between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets for TNT. The game featured a game-tying halfcourt shot from Pacers star Reggie Miller, though the Nets would win.
- 2002 Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3 - Breen, with partner P. J. Carlesimo on NBC, called one of the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history, as the Boston Celtics overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets, 94-90. Breen's call:
| “ | And the Celtics have just overcome a 25-point deficit to beat the Nets! Give them credit, as they never gave up. | ” |
- Pacers-Pistons brawl - Perhaps Breen's most noted assignment was the November 19, 2004 game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. Breen was calling that game alongside former NBA star Bill Walton on ESPN. With 45 seconds left, a massive brawl broke out between Pacers players and Pistons fans. Breen's description of the event:
| “ | ...Now Artest has jumped over the scorers' table, and is trying to get down to the bench! Artest is in the stands! Oh, this is awful! Fans are getting involved. Stephen Jackson's in the fans! Rasheed Wallace going into the stands! The security is trying to somehow restore order! Fans and players are getting involved, and the players are trying to help each other out!! | ” |
- 2006 NBA Playoffs, First Round, Game 4 - Now the lead broadcaster for the NBA on ABC, Breen called the 2006 NBA Playoff game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. The game featured a comeback by the Lakers, culminating with a Kobe Bryant shot at the buzzer in overtime with Breen yelling an exclamatory, "Bang!"
- 2006 NBA Finals, Game 5 - Calling his first NBA Finals, Breen was the voice of a classic and controversial NBA Finals game, which ended in overtime after a disupted foul and a botched time-out that cost the Dallas Mavericks a victory and helped propel the Miami Heat to a title.
- Knicks-Nuggets brawl - When the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets fought on December 16, 2006, Breen was doing play-by-play for the MSG Network alongside Hall of Famer Walt "Clyde" Frazier.
- 2008 NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Finals, Game 3 - The Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills to win their first road game of the postseason.
- 2008 NBA Playoffs, Finals, Game 2 The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers but embarassingly, at the end of the game, Breen called, "A wild finish at the Staples Center!" despite the game of course being in Boston.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Al Michaels |
Play-by-play announcer, NBA Finals 2006-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Al Michaels |
Lead play-by-play announcer, ABC 2006-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
