Ryan Ruocco has been on the mic for a lot of remarkable sports moments in recent years. From calling Domingo Germán’s 2023 perfect game for YES to notable calls for ESPN/ABC in the 2024 WNBA Finals, 2024 women’s college basketball title game, and beyond, he’s seen a lot of great finishes. And while the stakes of a regular-season NBA game between the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets Tuesday may not have been as high, the finish there stood up to some of those other moments, and Ruocco was in fine form for it:
“Inbound, STOLEN AWAY! RUSSELL! YOU BET! HE GOT IT!” @RyanRuocco had the YES call of the Nets’ remarkable comeback against the Rockets, which saw them hit two three-pointers inside four seconds of each other. pic.twitter.com/EzXjOjupZO
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 5, 2025
That was a crazy finish indeed. It started with Cameron Johnson hitting a long three that went through with 6.9 seconds left, leaving Brooklyn down one. Ruocco called that with a reasonable level of excitement, going “It’s GOOOOD! It’s a one-point game!”, but then really got amped up when Amen Thompson’s inbounds pass didn’t find Dillon Brooks.
When that pass went awry, the Nets’ Tosan Evbuomwan tipped it to Russell. And he knocked down a three to give Brooklyn a two-point lead with just 3.4 seconds left. And Ruocco’s “RUSSELL! YOU BET! HE GOT IT!” was perfect for that wild moment. And that 99-97 lead for the Nets would prove final, as Jalen Green’s deep three attempt at the buzzer didn’t fall.
As noted, this game wasn’t as consequential as some of those other calls from Ruocco. But the finish was certainly epic. And he did a great job of relaying that.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.