Mike Breen opens up about impartiality of calling Knicks playoff games on national TV

Wednesday will mark a first for Mike Breen.

In all his years of calling the NBA, he’s never sat next to his wife during a game. That’ll change for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. So, Breen won’t have to be impartial Wednesday, but the voice of the Knicks on MSG and ESPN’s lead NBA play-by-play voice will have to trade in his Knicks cap for Game 3.

During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Breen was asked about the impartiality of national television when the Knicks are playing. It hadn’t been a problem during the playoffs for quite some time, but with the franchise’s resurgence with Jalen Brunson at the helm, one would think that it would put Breen in a pickle.

But it doesn’t. He’s a professional.

“I’ve done it so much over the years that it just becomes another game in terms of having to work,” Breen tells Patrick. “I think when I first started doing it back in the 90s, and it was some of those great Knicks-Pacers games. You know, you had to focus like, ‘Hey, make sure you’re as fired up for a great Pacers play as you’re for a great Knicks play.’ But I actually found that it wasn’t hard to do. You just kind of get caught up in your job. You have so many responsibilities and things to do. So, it hasn’t been a problem for me.”

We can’t imagine it’ll be a problem for Breen when he’s on the call alongside Doris Burke and JJ Redick for Game 3 in Indiana on Friday. Sure, his Knicks fandom shines through on MSG broadcasts, but Breen can flip that switch quite easily and quickly. And it makes him one of the better play-by-play voices in basketball and all sports.

[The Dan Patrick Show on YouTube]

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