Mike Breen has seen a lot of basketball. Not only that, but he’s been the No. 1 man on the mic for more monster NBA games than just about anybody who has ever loved the game.
Perhaps that’s why he isn’t shy to call out nonsense when he sees it.
In the New York Knicks’ brutally disappointing 137-134 overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, Breen flat-out challenged Karl-Anthony Towns.
With the Knicks up by two points on the fringe of crunchtime, KAT complained about a call that did not go his way. This prompted MSG Networks’ top play-by-play man to showcase his frustration with Towns’s complaining.
“Towns has to stop complaining, Clyde,” Breen said on the broadcast while tempting his partner, Walt Frazier, to jump into the newly-formed conversation. “I agree, sometimes he doesn’t get the benefit of the calls, but it’s just non-stop.”
A pro’s pro
Remember, Breen is a pro’s pro, the vet of all veterans. While the mainstream NBA world is familiar with his work — thanks to his status as ESPN/ABC’s top play-by-play man since 2006 — the man has been with MSG Networks for a long time.
Breen hopped aboard WFAN to call Knicks games on the radio in 1991, where he teamed up with Frazier. At the time, the great Marv Albert and “Johnny Hoops” (John Andariese) held down the television fort for MSG Networks.
Ultimately, due to a particular set of circumstances and the passage of time, Breen and Frazier found themselves promoted to the big time (TV) in the late 1990s.
These days, he’s hardly a Knicks regular, courtesy of his national commitments. However, he’s respected enough that basketball fans take his strong opinions seriously.
It is true, after all
Towns, 30, undoubtedly complains too much. Let’s get real for a moment: There’s no disputing that truth.
Whether it’s on the defensive end of the floor, a loose-ball situation via rebounding (pushing off or not, whether it’s him or the opponent doing the pushing), or one of his patented slow-moving freight train treks to the rack (where his elbow may or may not hook the on-ball defender’s side), KAT has been known to chirp in the direction of an NBA official (or at the sky, while making sure the referee hears him).
In fact, there are plenty of bodies on this Knicks roster who fall into that category a bit harshly. Josh Hart, while he’s toned it down admirably in the last few weeks, is also a player who lets his emotions loose at the whistle.
Growing up Knicks
No matter where any Knicks fan stands on the Breen comment, as emphatic as it was, one thing is getting lost in all the hoopla: Breen is a Knickerbockers fan at heart.
Growing up in Yonkers, N.Y., Breen loved the Knicks. This is just one of the subtle reasons why Knicks fandom took to him so seamlessly after Albert exited the full-time stage.
At times, Mike Breen’s fandom seeps into his play-by-play. It’s neither calculated nor malicious, as was the case here with Karl-Anthony Towns.
Instead, we experienced just the latest in the man’s New York Knicks fandom oozing out at a particular time when, yes, a significant chunk of the fanbase was silently saying the same thing to themselves.
Why? Well, as is the case with the famed play-by-play man, fans want to see KAT receive the benefit of the whistle going forward. Complaining as routinely as he does only does damage.
