Mike Breen’s “BANG!” call on shot during NBA games has become iconic as the longtime broadcaster has spent nearly a decade and a half as the national voice of the league on television broadcasts.
We’ve heard so many of his calls attached to some of the most breathtaking moments in the past few years — remember LeBron James’ block in Game 7 in 2016? You’ll always hear it as “OH BLOCKED BY JAMES!” — but the one he delivered on Sunday is his all-time best.
Let’s review: we got not one but two “BANG” shouts, during a playoff buzzer-beater, and during a game taking place with no real fans in the stands.
Heck, even LeBron James cited the call:
To me, that last part is the clincher. I’ve listened to many a sports broadcast these days with no fans in the stands, and even with some of the piped-in sounds, it can be hard for play-by-play announcers to match the intensity they would normally have during a huge moment. But Breen didn’t let that stop him.
I’d say No. 2 was his similar double-“BANG” when he called Steph Curry’s deep three-pointer against the Thunder in 2016, which is in this compilation:
Amazing calls, but Sunday’s was the best.
