In her first season as New York Knicks radio analyst for ESPN New York, Monica McNutt was treated to one of the best Knicks seasons of the 21st century. And on Monday night amid a miracle comeback win at Madison Square Garden in Game Two over the Philadelphia 76ers, McNutt treated Knicks fans to a tremendous call of the game’s deciding sequence.
On the call alongside play-by-play man Pat O’Keefe, McNutt laid out while her partner captured the flurry of action in the final minute of the game before coming in to size up the moment as the Knicks took a 1-point lead on a late Donte DiVincenzo three-pointer.
“This is unreal,” McNutt said. “You talk about a team that refuses to quit and has been saying since the last dozen games of the regular season, as loudly and proudly [to] anyone who will listen, ‘we will find a way.'”
MSG Networks posted a video of the final call from O’Keefe and McNutt to Instagram, which then made its way across the internet as fans admired McNutt’s poise and perspective.
See, this is how you know @McNuttMonica is an ELITE media talent, because we experienced the exact same emotions in this moment. The only difference is, around the time I was spamming a half-dozen group chats with all caps gibberish, she’s composed for a perfect radio breakdown. pic.twitter.com/3RsFzSBoed
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) April 23, 2024
The atmosphere at Madison Square Garden coupled with the fire that every great Knicks team seems to have and the legendary broadcasters that come through the building all combine to make postseason basketball in New York City great. McNutt adds to the pantheon of legendary tributes to great moments at “The Mecca.”
Downstairs, longtime Knicks TV play-by-play man Mike Breen aced his own signature call, giving DiVincenzo a rare double-bang on his tipback three.
The Knicks are up 2-0 with an inside track on an appearance in the second round of the NBA playoffs for the second straight season, and McNutt was ready for the moment.
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.