While Game 3 of the playoff series between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks lacked the drama of Games 1 and 2, those who kept the game on for all four quarters probably wanted to see the entire game. But that didn’t quite happen.
Boston held a comfortable 96-70 lead after three quarters. New York, though, started the fourth quarter strong, thanks to a three-pointer from Jalen Brunson, a shot viewers only saw at the end. So, what happened? The ESPN on ABC broadcast was still in commercial.
ABC missed roughly the first 10 seconds of the fourth quarter of Game 3 of Celtics/Knicks.
That included a three-pointer from New York’s Jalen Brunson. pic.twitter.com/WpCQowgsV6
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 10, 2025
To be fair, missing the opening moments of a game’s resumption due to a commercial isn’t that uncommon. Sure, it’s frustrating, but it happens.
What makes this one particularly weird is how long the overlap was. Close to 10 seconds were missed. Fortunately, it was not a particularly suspenseful game at this point — but it’s not as though these glitches only happen in blowouts.
To that point, ESPN’s Friday night game broadcast between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets also had a broadcasting glitch. In overtime, Denver’s Jamal Murray made a shot that was disallowed due to a shot clock violation. In real time, Mark Jones and Jay Bilas both felt that Murray’s shot was clearly late. The beginning of the replay, though, showed that it was much closer. Unfortunately, viewers only saw a freeze frame accompanied by a sound that rivaled what Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne produced in Dumb and Dumber.
If you’re wondering if it’s just your TV that glitched as ESPN showed the replay of Jamal Murray’s disallowed shot in overtime, no it was not. pic.twitter.com/hxk3KkSHkp
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 10, 2025
Interestingly, the commercial airing while the Brunson three-pointer took place was for ESPN’s NBA doubleheader on Monday. That will feature a pair of Game 4s, the first between the Celtics and Knicks and the second between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors. These mistakes, though, serve as the opposite of advertisements.
