Last summer, ESPN inexplicably fired NBA Finals game analysts Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. It’s part of Disney’s network layoffs that happen every few years, a bit like NFL teams pruning their books to make room for millions of dollars in future spending.
Van Gundy’s pay cut especially makes no sense because he is probably the best game analyst in sports, with a gym-junkie mentality and “inside the NBA” quirks.
In the wake of these moves, ESPN’s performance hasn’t been what it once was. In theory, ESPN should provide great listening to venerable players Mike Breen, Hall of Famer Doris Burke and rising J.J. Redick, but develop NBA Finals-level chemistry needs time.
Neither Breen, nor Burke nor Redick. They’ve only been together for four months, and they don’t come across like a team that should advance to the second round. But they will.
On Tuesday night, Breen, Burke and Redick will convene in Boston for next month’s highlight — the Eastern Conference Finals before the NBA Finals. Suddenly, the future of ESPN’s stalwart, stable booth is once again in question, as the current team lacks humor and fluidity. Hopefully they can concede to the Indiana Pacers in this series.
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up
Free daily sports updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up
purchase
On Sunday, ESPN turned its production of Game 7 of the Pacers-New York Knicks series from start to finish into a Knicks home broadcast that featured “First Take” host Stephen A. Smith entering the arena. , as if he were a player, and then have him give a pep talk for the Knicks before the game. During the game, Breen and company focused too much on the Knicks and not enough on the Pacers’ historical shooting performance. ESPN put its best foot forward on Friday with coverage of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest, and the comparison to the NBA’s performance on Sunday was embarrassing.
How ESPN got here and where it goes next is an interesting broadcast question. Especially with the framework agreement for a new television broadcast deal with the NBA, it is expected that the league’s biggest event will continue to be on the ESPN stage for more than a decade.
Breen, who turns 63 on Wednesday, remains the anchor. However, in the playoffs, he often tried to do it all on his own, rather than fully trusting his new teammates.
With his familiar voice, Breen might be able to lead the trio in close games, but he doesn’t elevate his pairing. Assessing what he has, he’s more of a shoot-first point guard who provides not only play-by-play but often analysis as well.
After Van Gundy and Jackson, ESPN has a plan that looks like it could work. Breen’s good friend Doc Rivers is available after being fired as head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. There should be strong chemistry between Breen and Rivers.
Burke will make history as the first female television analyst for one of the traditional four major league championships (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL), ESPN top executives Jimmy Pitaro, Burke Burke Magnus and David Roberts have both envisioned successors out there. Roberts even named the apparent heir apparent, with Ryan Ruecker, Richard Jefferson and Redick designated as a second unit in hopes of one day reaching the Finals.
Although the NBA disliked Van Gundy’s criticism of his officiating and complained to ESPN, there is no evidence that the league ordered his expulsion. One concern for ESPN is that Van Gundy will return to coaching, which he has been trying to do for years, according to executives familiar with ESPN’s decision-making.
Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Breen talk before Game 2 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. The three of them have reached the NBA Finals 15 times. (Michael Reeves/Getty Images)
Van Gundy, though, never left during his 16 seasons with the network, and Rivers’ stay at ESPN was nearly as brief as Bill Belichick’s tenure as “The New York Times’ HC.”
During his time on ESPN broadcasts, Rivers began consulting with the Milwaukee Bucks in December before leaving to become the team’s head coach in January, after a three-year commitment to ESPN. Feel embarrassed.
After the All-Star break, Redick, who turns 40 in June, moved in. Ten thousand U.S. dollars.
But as evidenced by Redick’s recent in-game podcast with LeBron James, Redick’s enthusiasm after games may be similar to Rivers’. His game analysis is more coaching than conversational.
After a brief stint as coach of the Charlotte Hornets, he was the perfect choice to join James’ Los Angeles Lakers. With Van Gundy gone, ESPN has a second analyst who can handle the broadcast crimes Van Gundy was accused of but never committed. He spoke to Breen and Burke until Redick left.
It doesn’t sound like Breen, Burke and Redick dislike each other; in fact, they have a good relationship with each other. They just didn’t finish each other’s sentences. Heck, half the time it felt as though Burke and Redick were barely starting much of their own. There are a lot of brin.
Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson played in a combined 15 NBA Finals games, allowing them to establish a comfort level with each other and the audience. Breen’s “Bang!” shines brightly – it’s a strong, iconic call – but what’s most striking is the rhythm of his movements and his well-timed changes throughout the 48 minutes, which suggest that whenever there’s something special When things happen, he stands out.
If you close your eyes and just listen to Brin’s emotions on the call, you can judge the excitement of a game on a scale of 1 to 10. That’s why when it counts, ESPN should still be fine.
When Booth needs to shine in moments or blowouts, Van Gundy and Jackson are missed.
Jackson is far from perfect—last year, he inexplicably left Nikola Jokic off the All-Star roster—but he has his tricks up his sleeve, most notably the line “Mom, that guy Gone! He can knock down some 3-pointers from Breen and Van Gundy.
Still, Van Gundy’s firing is a headache. With his headphones on, he’s always a triple threat: sharp analysis, nonchalant talk, and humor.
Van Gundy has left and is now a senior advisor to the Boston Celtics. ESPN is still paying him. Maybe that could require him to come back for a series or two.
(JJ Redick, Doris Burke and Mike Breen photo above: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
