Latest / Sid & Friends In The Morning / Mike Breen | Sports Broadcasting Legend | 05-19-26
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: That's what Nick Mannons expect. They expect us to beat
- 0:02Speaker 1: Cleveland and take on the winner of Oklahoma City and
- 0:05Speaker 1: San Antonio. Here he is, dear friend and the best
- 0:08Speaker 1: NBA voice ever. Mike Breen, Mike, good morning, buddy. How
- 0:12Speaker 1: are you.
- 0:13Speaker 2: I'm good, said very special thanks to our man Lou
- 0:17Speaker 2: Rufino for playing a.
- 0:18Speaker 3: Little Jethro Tell in there. He knows he never forgets.
- 0:23Speaker 1: He never does forget. That is attached to you like
- 0:27Speaker 1: the Knicks. I mean, are you happy about that? Is that?
- 0:30Speaker 1: How was that for you?
- 0:32Speaker 3: Oh?
- 0:33Speaker 2: I'm a huge tall fan. I'm boycotting the Rock and
- 0:37Speaker 2: Roll Hall of Fame until they get them in all
- 0:39Speaker 2: it's one of the worst things I've ever seen from
- 0:44Speaker 2: the Rock and the Hall of Fame, which is a
- 0:45Speaker 2: great place, but they need to get Jethrow.
- 0:47Speaker 3: Tell in there.
- 0:48Speaker 1: You know, I agree with you. This is clearly antisemitism.
- 0:52Speaker 2: It's crazy how they're not in it. Absolutely, but why not?
- 0:55Speaker 1: I guess Ian Anderson is not very likable. I don't know.
- 0:58Speaker 1: That's what Lou told me.
- 1:00Speaker 3: Oh was that? I didn't know that was the reason.
- 1:05Speaker 1: I don't know. I agree with you. They should be
- 1:06Speaker 1: in the Hall of Fame. Let's get on that, okay, noam,
- 1:09Speaker 1: send a letter to somebody, will you? We want just
- 1:10Speaker 1: throw Tall in the Hall of Fame. Okay, we'll get
- 1:13Speaker 1: on it right now. Mike's in the Hall of Fame.
- 1:14Speaker 1: Mike's in the basketball Hall of Fame, of course, because
- 1:16Speaker 1: he's the best, the absolute best, and we got this
- 1:19Speaker 1: Eastern Conference Finals coming up. But yesterday he probably weren't listening.
- 1:22Speaker 1: He may have been traveling back from Detroit. We did
- 1:25Speaker 1: the game seven for the Pistons and the Cabs. But
- 1:27Speaker 1: making his second appearance on Sitting Friends in the morning
- 1:31Speaker 1: late yesterday morning, Mike Breen was the twenty seven year old.
- 1:36Speaker 1: How about that twenty seven year old Wyatt?
- 1:39Speaker 2: I miss it's crazy, crazy, I see to think about that.
- 1:45Speaker 2: I actually I heard the first time you had a loan.
- 1:47Speaker 2: And he's such an impressive young man. It's just to
- 1:52Speaker 2: think that that the eye man now has a twenty
- 1:55Speaker 2: seven year old.
- 1:55Speaker 3: God rest, God rest his soul.
- 1:57Speaker 2: But that's wild, but very impressive young man, don't you think.
- 2:01Speaker 1: Oh I love him. He is a very impressive young man,
- 2:04Speaker 1: very respectful, very nice. Had a long conversation with Deirdre
- 2:08Speaker 1: yesterday about Wyatt and you know, look, we go back
- 2:11Speaker 1: a long way. You were part of that show even
- 2:13Speaker 1: before me. But like you said, Whyatt is now twenty
- 2:16Speaker 1: seven years old and your best buddy, really your best buddy,
- 2:20Speaker 1: and I loved him dearly. But he's got two grandchildren now,
- 2:23Speaker 1: Bernard McGirk, So you think back to all those great
- 2:26Speaker 1: years together, Mike and all the fine people we met,
- 2:29Speaker 1: and now we're talking about kids and grandkids and how
- 2:31Speaker 1: our friends have loved us.
- 2:34Speaker 3: Yeah, it goes by it very quickly. I think. I
- 2:36Speaker 3: think that Bernard quite a bit.
- 2:38Speaker 2: Thankfully, there's still some videos that pop on every once
- 2:42Speaker 2: in a while and it just makes me laugh every
- 2:45Speaker 2: single time.
- 2:46Speaker 3: A special special guy, Wyatt.
- 2:48Speaker 1: I miss he is and was a very very special guy,
- 2:51Speaker 1: and I miss him dearly, and so does our audience.
- 2:53Speaker 1: But wouldn't you know what it, Wyatt, I missus listening
- 2:56Speaker 1: right now and just texted me, he said, Mike Breen
- 2:59Speaker 1: is the man. I've been texting with him for a
- 3:01Speaker 1: while now a little bit, he said, So why it
- 3:04Speaker 1: is listening right now?
- 3:05Speaker 3: Mike?
- 3:05Speaker 1: How about that?
- 3:06Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I own a phone call.
- 3:08Speaker 2: We've been texting back and forth, but I've got to
- 3:10Speaker 2: I want to catch up with him because I've been
- 3:12Speaker 2: so impressed with his appearances.
- 3:14Speaker 3: That was very nice for you to have him on.
- 3:17Speaker 1: Oh why not? I love the kid. He's great and
- 3:18Speaker 1: he's a big Nick fan. You know his father. We
- 3:21Speaker 1: never really knew Mike, did we? What what team Heimers
- 3:24Speaker 1: was rooting for? I guess it depends who won the
- 3:26Speaker 1: night before.
- 3:26Speaker 3: Right.
- 3:28Speaker 2: By the way, I've noticed your ability to do the
- 3:31Speaker 2: show and text at the same time is very impressive.
- 3:35Speaker 1: Yeah, no one else can do that. Nobody in the
- 3:37Speaker 1: whole industry can do that except for Stampan Gundy.
- 3:41Speaker 2: I don't know if that's the case, but you have
- 3:44Speaker 2: that ability to be able to talk and text at
- 3:46Speaker 2: the same time.
- 3:46Speaker 1: So you've never done that sitting at the garden during
- 3:49Speaker 1: a Nick game. You've never called a play on the
- 3:52Speaker 1: court and texted role at the same time. It never happened.
- 3:55Speaker 2: No, no, what now during time outside?
- 3:57Speaker 3: Might right, I'm not not good enough to do vote.
- 4:02Speaker 1: I think you are good enough. I think you're great.
- 4:04Speaker 1: So look at this series. What a wacky series between
- 4:08Speaker 1: Detroit and Cleveland, right the home team they helped serve.
- 4:11Speaker 1: Detroit won the first two at home, Cleveland went home.
- 4:14Speaker 1: They won the next two, and then the road team
- 4:17Speaker 1: won every game after that, and they won by big numbers.
- 4:20Speaker 1: The home team wasn't even competitive. I don't remember a
- 4:23Speaker 1: series like that.
- 4:25Speaker 2: Yeah, it was the last two games the two of
- 4:28Speaker 2: the strangest games, because you had the Cavs a chance
- 4:31Speaker 2: to clinch on their home court in Game six and
- 4:34Speaker 2: they played their probably their worst game of the playoffs.
- 4:37Speaker 2: Then you have Detroit after that inspiring, dominant win in
- 4:42Speaker 2: Game six to force a Game seven at home, and
- 4:45Speaker 2: that's that's one of the worst Game seven home performances
- 4:49Speaker 2: I've ever seen. And it was shocking because they were
- 4:53Speaker 2: a team that were so good defensively they could still
- 4:56Speaker 2: win even if they shot poorly, but their defense let
- 4:59Speaker 2: them down. And that was shocking because they were as
- 5:01Speaker 2: good a defensive as team as any team really in
- 5:04Speaker 2: the league all year.
- 5:05Speaker 1: What's interesting is when the Cavs got Harden. And I
- 5:08Speaker 1: don't follow it as close as I used to, obviously,
- 5:10Speaker 1: because I spend a lot of time talking about I
- 5:12Speaker 1: don't know Israeli Ron President Trump, but I followed it
- 5:15Speaker 1: pretty closely, and I know that Jim Harden is a
- 5:18Speaker 1: Hall of Fame basketball player. Now, look, he has had
- 5:20Speaker 1: his rough goals during the playoffs and hasn't played well
- 5:24Speaker 1: a lot. But I always say this, Mike, give me
- 5:27Speaker 1: that Hall of Fame guy. Let me take my chances.
- 5:30Speaker 1: People are like, oh, Cleveland's done, He's a cancer, he
- 5:32Speaker 1: never shows up in a big game. Give me that
- 5:35Speaker 1: Hall of Fame guy. I'll take my chances. And it
- 5:37Speaker 1: looks like Jim Harden has paid off well.
- 5:40Speaker 2: First off, you must know him well, because you're the
- 5:42Speaker 2: only person I know that refers to him as Jim Harden.
- 5:44Speaker 1: That's correct. No, I actually texted him. Now you know
- 5:47Speaker 1: you're lamping is because you think I'm kidding. Yes, I
- 5:51Speaker 1: get texts from bb Trump and Jim Harden.
- 5:57Speaker 3: No, you're right.
- 5:58Speaker 2: It's gonna be a long, tough series. The Cavs are
- 6:03Speaker 2: really good. They went through, obviously changes mid season. They
- 6:07Speaker 2: made this huge trade and they got a couple of
- 6:11Speaker 2: key players who really helped them and Cardon. You know,
- 6:14Speaker 2: I keep saying this continuity for a roster is so
- 6:19Speaker 2: important for success. So it takes a while sometimes, especially
- 6:22Speaker 2: when you have a guy like James Harden who has
- 6:25Speaker 2: been ball dominant in his career, not as much as
- 6:28Speaker 2: he used to be, but it takes a while to
- 6:30Speaker 2: get comfortable and get rhythm when that's now your point guard.
- 6:34Speaker 2: And they did well in the regular season. They've had
- 6:36Speaker 2: their ups and downs in the playoffs, but they're a
- 6:40Speaker 2: dangerous team. I mean, he's had some brilliant playoff games
- 6:44Speaker 2: in his career. He's had some really rough ones too,
- 6:46Speaker 2: but he's capable of throwing up thirty easily. And he
- 6:51Speaker 2: has torched the Knicks in all the games he's played
- 6:54Speaker 2: against them all regular seasons. He's never played the Knicks
- 6:56Speaker 2: in the playoffs, so he could be a problem.
- 6:58Speaker 3: And then you add his mate.
- 7:00Speaker 2: And Donovan Mitchell, who's one of the great playoff scorers.
- 7:03Speaker 3: Of all time.
- 7:04Speaker 2: He's throwing Mobley and Jared Allen. Those are two terrific
- 7:08Speaker 2: big men. It's going to be a really, really hard series.
- 7:12Speaker 1: I agree with you, But look what the Knicks did.
- 7:14Speaker 1: Right They're down two games to one to the Hawks.
- 7:16Speaker 1: And I remember had Stephen A. Smith on that morning
- 7:19Speaker 1: when in the morning after they fell behind two to one,
- 7:21Speaker 1: and I said, you know, I said, Steve, you know,
- 7:24Speaker 1: the happiest guy in the world is right now. And
- 7:27Speaker 1: he said, who would that be? Said, I said, Tom Thibodeaux.
- 7:30Speaker 1: I mean they got rid of this guy. He was
- 7:31Speaker 1: two games away from the NBA Finals, seemingly doing a
- 7:34Speaker 1: very very good job. They get rid of them, and
- 7:37Speaker 1: now Mike Brown is losing in the first round to
- 7:39Speaker 1: the Atlanta Hawks. By the way, the Knicks have not
- 7:42Speaker 1: lost the game since. They've won seven consecutive games, most
- 7:45Speaker 1: of them in incredibly dominant fashion. He's going nine deep,
- 7:49Speaker 1: which Tom Thibodaux could never do. So clearly the change
- 7:54Speaker 1: to Mike Brown, at least so far, seems to be
- 7:57Speaker 1: helping the Knicks in these playoffs.
- 8:01Speaker 2: Mike Brown's done an exceptional job. Tom Thibodol did an
- 8:04Speaker 2: exceptional job. It was a risky move, but what Mike Brown.
- 8:08Speaker 2: He brings some different things to the table. And I've
- 8:11Speaker 2: been so impressed with two things. Number one, how he
- 8:14Speaker 2: didn't panic after it was two to one.
- 8:17Speaker 3: And as you know.
- 8:18Speaker 2: Here in New York, it's armageddon when the Knicks are
- 8:20Speaker 2: on the verge maybe getting eliminated. But he didn't panic,
- 8:24Speaker 2: and he made some adjustments. And he's very open to
- 8:27Speaker 2: suggestions from his assistant coaches, from the players on his roster,
- 8:32Speaker 2: and he's not afraid to admit, you know what, this
- 8:35Speaker 2: idea worked it wasn't my idea, it was my assistance
- 8:37Speaker 2: or as the players came and told me they wanted
- 8:39Speaker 2: to do this. And that tells me something about it
- 8:42Speaker 2: that he knows he doesn't have all the answers. He
- 8:44Speaker 2: knows he's still learning about the team and he's done
- 8:48Speaker 2: a great job managing it. And right now they're playing
- 8:50Speaker 2: as well as anybody in the playoffs. This seven game
- 8:53Speaker 2: stretched it. The point differential they've had in their first
- 8:57Speaker 2: ten games of the playoffs is largest in NBA history.
- 9:01Speaker 2: They're not just beating teams, they're dominating teams. And I
- 9:04Speaker 2: know Philly had had some problems and Atlanta wouldn't call
- 9:08Speaker 2: an elite team a really good team, but the Knicks
- 9:11Speaker 2: have played some beautiful team basketball.
- 9:14Speaker 3: Beautiful team basketball.
- 9:15Speaker 2: Even Clyde has mentioned it reminds him a little bit
- 9:18Speaker 2: of his team in terms of how they're sharing the
- 9:20Speaker 2: ball and playing together defensively.
- 9:22Speaker 1: So that's a big statement coming from Clyde who won
- 9:24Speaker 1: two championships. It's the last time we won sixty nine
- 9:27Speaker 1: and seventy three, and they did they did share the
- 9:29Speaker 1: ball well. They had eight nine guys who went out
- 9:31Speaker 1: there and contributed. Like this team is doing right now.
- 9:33Speaker 1: But you got to look at the superstars still right.
- 9:35Speaker 1: You talked about Harden and Mitchell, and we've got two superstars.
- 9:38Speaker 1: I don't want to discount what Josh Hart means to
- 9:41Speaker 1: the team and some of these other guys, but Brunson
- 9:44Speaker 1: and specifically Towns, this is a new Towns. And this
- 9:47Speaker 1: does go to the Brown Thibodeaux difference, because let's face it,
- 9:51Speaker 1: as far as we know, you don't really liked Thibbodeau. Towns.
- 9:54Speaker 1: This seems to be a different call Anthony in these playoffs,
- 9:58Speaker 1: and that won two punch for the Knicks. I think
- 10:00Speaker 1: you got to put him right there at the very
- 10:02Speaker 1: top all time, won two combos for the Knicks.
- 10:06Speaker 2: Well, what Towns is doing is extraordinary. He's changed his game,
- 10:10Speaker 2: Like in the game against Atlanta, the clinching game, and
- 10:14Speaker 2: against Atlanta, I think he took four shots. He's not
- 10:18Speaker 2: even averaging ten shots per game. And this is a
- 10:21Speaker 2: guy who's known for his scoring. What he's done, He's
- 10:24Speaker 2: filled the role as a playmaker just beautifully. He's playing
- 10:28Speaker 2: probably the best consistent defense he's ever played. But more importantly,
- 10:32Speaker 2: he's like he's showing the way of sacrifice look, I'm
- 10:35Speaker 2: sacrificing shots. I don't care if I score. I like distributing.
- 10:39Speaker 2: I just want to see us wins. He's the only
- 10:41Speaker 2: guy that has played in the last three Western Conference finals,
- 10:46Speaker 2: so he's been close to the finals but hasn't been there.
- 10:49Speaker 2: He just wants to win, and what he's showing is
- 10:51Speaker 2: he's backing that up by playing that way in such
- 10:53Speaker 2: an unselfish manner.
- 10:55Speaker 1: I think Nick fans, you know, you said it. The
- 10:57Speaker 1: Cavs are going to be tough, you know, a good
- 11:00Speaker 1: team with a couple of Hall of famers at Mitchell
- 11:02Speaker 1: and Horton. But I think Nick bands will be really
- 11:06Speaker 1: somewhere between angry and disappointed if this team doesn't win
- 11:10Speaker 1: this series. Despite how good Cleveland is, elbody believe Nick
- 11:13Speaker 1: bans and they may be a little too cocky is
- 11:16Speaker 1: expect to win. But they got to win four games first.
- 11:19Speaker 1: I'll tell you, you know, I go back to ninety four. Mike, Well,
- 11:22Speaker 1: you're doing the Knicks back in nineteen ninety.
- 11:24Speaker 3: Four, Yeah, I was doing radio.
- 11:26Speaker 1: You were doing radio. So let's go back to the finals.
- 11:29Speaker 1: The Knicks had taken on the Rockets, okay, and all
- 11:32Speaker 1: these people are inside Madison Square Garden watching this series,
- 11:36Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, nobody's sitting in their seats.
- 11:38Speaker 1: They're all by the concession stands watching the TVs because
- 11:41Speaker 1: there's a white Ford Bronco chase with OJ Simpson and A. C. Collings.
- 11:47Speaker 1: And isn't it ironic that yesterday, as the Knicks get
- 11:51Speaker 1: set to start the Eastern con Conference finals, that Mark Furman,
- 11:56Speaker 1: who became kind of the star of that OJ trial,
- 11:59Speaker 1: he died yesterday, bringing back memories of nineteen ninety four, right, yeah.
- 12:04Speaker 2: Yeah, I saw the news about Mark firm and I
- 12:07Speaker 2: remember that game so well.
- 12:09Speaker 3: It's Game five.
- 12:10Speaker 2: I'm sitting doing radio in the booth and we had
- 12:12Speaker 2: a TV monitor, and you know, I'm a young broadcaster.
- 12:16Speaker 2: That was the biggest game I've ever broadcast, and I'm
- 12:20Speaker 2: losing my focus because I'm watching the Bronco because NBC
- 12:24Speaker 2: had a split screen, they had the Bronco and they
- 12:26Speaker 2: had the game. And I remember saying to my statistician,
- 12:31Speaker 2: Harry Robinson, Hey, Harry, you got.
- 12:34Speaker 3: To turn the TV off. I can't concentrate.
- 12:37Speaker 2: And he went to turn the TV off, and that
- 12:39Speaker 2: old broadcast location was in the middle of the stands
- 12:42Speaker 2: it was about ten rows up and all the fans
- 12:45Speaker 2: around us, who we knew from being around all year,
- 12:48Speaker 2: they're screaming at me, no, no, no, you can't turn
- 12:50Speaker 2: the TV off. They wouldn't let me turn the TV off.
- 12:52Speaker 3: So here it is.
- 12:53Speaker 2: It's the biggest game I've ever broadcast in my career,
- 12:56Speaker 2: and I couldn't concentrate because of the compelling thing that
- 13:00Speaker 2: was on the television with the white.
- 13:01Speaker 1: Bronco hilarious final thirty seconds. Well, Jim Dolan finally get
- 13:06Speaker 1: some credit in the city for this Nick team or
- 13:10Speaker 1: I don't know. People so angry about still about Isaiah
- 13:13Speaker 1: and Phil Jackson and Larry Brown and all that.
- 13:16Speaker 2: Well, what he did by bringing in Leon Rose, and
- 13:19Speaker 2: that was another It's kind of an out of the
- 13:21Speaker 2: box thinking because Leon Rose had never worked in the
- 13:23Speaker 2: front office, but had been a player agent and a
- 13:26Speaker 2: really successful one. So he took a chance on Leon Rose.
- 13:30Speaker 2: And what Leon Rose has done has been extraordinary. When
- 13:34Speaker 2: he took over the team, I think they were like
- 13:37Speaker 2: twenty one and forty five, he started in March, and all.
- 13:41Speaker 3: Of a sudden he hires Divide.
- 13:42Speaker 2: Oh, Julius Randall became a good player and then one
- 13:46Speaker 2: of the great free agent signings in NBA history is
- 13:50Speaker 2: Jalen Brunson being signed. And he's added to those pieces
- 13:54Speaker 2: and he's just he's.
- 13:55Speaker 3: Built it the right way.
- 13:56Speaker 2: He's been very pragmatic, didn't want to hit home run.
- 14:00Speaker 2: He just took his time, slowly built. And now this
- 14:02Speaker 2: is a team that has a shot to win a championship.
- 14:05Speaker 2: And this comes after many, many dark years where they
- 14:08Speaker 2: were really bad. So Jim Dolan's hiring of Leon Rose
- 14:11Speaker 2: was the first major step in what's turned the whole
- 14:14Speaker 2: team around exactly.
- 14:16Speaker 1: We'll given Jim Dolan credit here. Mike Breen just did
- 14:19Speaker 1: Mike not only the best basketball announcer ever, but you're
- 14:22Speaker 1: just the sweetest guy. You've been great to me all
- 14:24Speaker 1: these years. From the day I first met you, which
- 14:27Speaker 1: you may have forgotten, but Mark Chernhoff said, go go
- 14:30Speaker 1: you'll meet im Rockefeller Center. He's doing his radio don
- 14:34Speaker 1: and I sat in the bullpen with you and Mike
- 14:36Speaker 1: Francessa and I said to you, Mike, I'm about to
- 14:40Speaker 1: meet and i'mus for the first time. What is your advice?
- 14:42Speaker 1: And you said it was one word.
- 14:45Speaker 3: Run.
- 14:51Speaker 1: You're beautiful. I can't love you more. Than I do.
- 14:53Speaker 1: You're great, great friend. I know you don't do this
- 14:55Speaker 1: at all radio, so thank you so much for doing
- 14:57Speaker 1: this for me. Mike Breen, Thank you. Enjoy the games.
- 14:59Speaker 1: You're great.
- 15:00Speaker 3: So proud of you, Bud, thank you.
- 15:02Speaker 1: That means a lot coming from you. The great Mike Breen.
- 15:05Speaker 1: I love him so much. We talk quite a bit.
- 15:07Speaker 1: He's you know who send me text every now and
- 15:10Speaker 1: then and I like this and you know, stop doing that,
- 15:13Speaker 1: and I love all of it. Mike Breen. The Nixon
- 15:16Speaker 1: Cavaliers came one later on tonight, nobody better, and it's
- 15:20Speaker 1: that's him. Like, there's nothing phony about Mike. It's not
- 15:25Speaker 1: it's not made up. It's authentic. He's just a really
- 15:29Speaker 1: good person. Yes, he just fun to be around.
- 15:32Speaker 2: Yes, and smart, and he's great and funny.
- 15:36Speaker 1: Oh my god, doing sports on Imus Bill from White Plains,
- 15:39Speaker 1: all that great stuff. Mike Breen, We love you and
- 15:42Speaker 1: h Wyatt's as regards. I think we've done for today.
- 15:45Speaker 1: That's it, Lewis, Thanks for listening to Sit in Friends
- 15:49Speaker 1: in the Morning. You can hear Sit and Friends in
- 15:51Speaker 1: the Morning weekday mornings. It's six. If you like the podcast,
- 15:55Speaker 1: share it with your friends. And listen anytime at WABC
- 15:58Speaker 1: radio dot com and download the WABC Radio app.
- 16:02Speaker 2: Hit that subscribe button on all major podcast platforms.
- 16:05Speaker 1: Plus follow WABC on social on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and
- 16:11Speaker 1: X see you next time for a new episode, so
- 16:14Speaker 1: you never have to wonder what the heck is going
- 16:16Speaker 1: on here