Mike Breen

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Mike Breen is a play-by-play commentator for the NBA on ABC. 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, 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. Breen also did WNBA play-by-play at NBC. 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.

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, "Felix Millan went 4-for-4 with 3 runs scored."

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's often says "Bang!" after a clutch shot made in a game. He is also a Mets fan and attends games with his sons, most notably and recently the 2006 NLCS. [1] Breen is also known for readily criticizing his own team, the Knicks, with no hesitation.

[edit] Notable games called

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.
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.
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!".
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. 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 stands.

”

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.
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.
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.
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.
1998 NBA Playoffs, Game 4 - In one of 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.