Mike Breen says the worst call of his illustrious play-by-play career came during the playoffs last year, when he undersold a game-winning bucket from Jayson Tatum.
In Game 1 of the Celtics’ first round series against the Nets, Tatum dropped in a game-winner at the buzzer; but instead of announcing the play with flare, Breen simply said “the Celtics go up by one.”
do the bruins or Celtics have more pressure on them?
“I butchered the call as badly as I’ve ever butchered a big call at the end of the game,” Breen told JJ Redick on his podcast earlier this month.
But on Saturday night, Breen was afforded a mulligan. With just moments to spare, Tatum nailed a 3-pointer at the top of the arc, pushing the Celtics ahead of the 76ers 110-107.
The Hall of Fame broadcaster didn’t disappoint.
“Bounce pass Tatum. Tatum puts up a three! BANG! Jayson Tatum!,” Breen shouted.
There are few more exhilarating sounds in sports than hearing Breen shout “bang!” following a game-winning jumper. On Saturday night, scores of Celtics fans undoubtedly leaped off of their sofas when Tatum’s shot found the net, and it seemed like Breen was right there with him.
As the longtime play-by-play guy for the Knicks, there were initially some questions about whether Breen, a native New Yorker, would be able to muster up the same kind of enthusiasm for the Celtics as other teams across the league.
Suffice to say, those doubts have been answered with a bang.