The only person at ESPN who can claim to know the New York Knicks better than Stephen A. Smith is Mike Breen, the network’s top NBA announcer and the team’s voice locally for MSG Networks.
And as the Knicks sit among the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference for the first time this century, Smith is taking Breen to task for lowering the bar for management.
During a recent broadcast (which was kicked off in shocking fashion by Breen’s partner Walt Frazier), Breen ribbed Knicks fans who believe the season would be “disappointing” if they do not make the Finals.
In a classic rant on Monday on First Take, Smith pushed back sharply on Breen, imploring the legendary announcer not to “give passes” to Knicks brass by encouraging fans to lower their expectations. First, Smith showered Breen with love as “one of the greatest voices in the history of sports,” someone who is “special” to Smith as a New York native and Knicks diehard.
But then Smith set Breen straight.
“I hope Burke Magnus is watching, I hope Jimmy Pitaro is watching, I hope Josh DiMaro, I hope Bob Iger is watching. I love this man Mike Breen. That’s my guy. ‘Bang!’ I mean he’s great,” Smith said. “What has happened to you? He’s the voice of the New York Knicks on MSG since 1991 … you’ve been there.”
Smith is right that Breen has seen it all as the voice of the Knicks. The early years of Breen’s tenure were among the best in Knicks history, including a trip to the 1999 Finals.
But Breen also called games during the ugly nadir of Knicks history in the 2000s, which Smith believes should make him the last person to lower the bar whatsoever as Knicks fans clamor for a return to the championship series this spring in a wide-open East.
“We know that the New York Knicks have improved. I love Jalen Brunson,” Smith said.
“(But) New York Knicks fans have suffered. We haven’t won a championship since Richard Nixon left office. We haven’t won a championship since 1973 … and you’re telling us, ‘You’ve gotta remember the bad seasons that you had before Leon Rose.’
“We love and we appreciate Leon Rose and the job that he has done. Does that mean that we’re supposed to be satisfied with every damn thing that falls short of a trip to the NBA Finals? We ain’t even asking for a championship. We just say get there … damn it, Mike Breen. Don’t do this! Don’t give passes. We need a trip to the Finals.”
New York has made it to at least the second three straight years, with a conference finals berth in 2025. It is strange that Breen would push back on fans who set the bar as high as the Finals, since an appearance would be the next step forward from last season.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.