Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics is everything the NBA could want and all of the big names will be out on the court to determine who will play the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
There will be one familiar person missing from the festivities, however. Play-by-play announcer Mike Breen has tested positive for COVID and will not be calling the game.
Mike Breen will not call tonight's Game 7 due to testing positive for COVID, an ESPN spokesman told The Post.
Breen feels fine and the hope is for him to be available for Game 1 of the Finals.
Mark Jones will replace Breen on Game 7 of Heat-Celtics tonight.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 29, 2022
“Breen feels fine and the hope is for him to be available for Game 1 of the Finals,” the NY Post’s Andrew Marchand tweeted Sunday.
Breen will be replaced courtside on Sunday by Mark Jones, who will call the game with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Jones is no stranger to calling games for ESPN and ABC, mostly working as a play-by-play commentator for ESPN’s NBA and college football coverage. Having recently signed a multi-year extension in his 32nd year with the company, he has hosted ESPN’s coverage of NBA All-Star events, the draft lottery, and plenty more.
While there’s been so much focus on Joe Buck not calling the World Series or Al Michaels not calling Sunday Night Football, losing Breen for the NBA Finals would be a blow for longtime fans. He’s been ESPN’s top NBA play-by-play announcer since 2006 and has called every NBA Finals since as well. All signs point to him being able to continue doing so, once he’s recovered.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.