Now that Doc Rivers is returning to an NBA sideline with the Milwaukee Bucks, there appears to be a void left in ESPN/ABC’s splashy reboot of its “A” play-by-play team that’s helmed by Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.
Six-plus months removed from replacing Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson with Rivers and longtime color commentator Doris Burke, there was an assumption that the network would have to reshuffle the deck to maintain the three-person booth for its premier broadcasts.
Those broadcasts include marquee regular season telecasts, early-round playoff action, either Eastern or Western Conference Finals series in a given year and the NBA Finals.
However, as posted on social media by Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy, ESPN is reportedly sticking with a two-person team of Burke and Breen.
NEWS: With Doc Rivers out, ESPN is leaning toward a two-person booth with lead analyst Doris Burke and play-by-play announcer Mike Breen, sources tell @FOS.@heydb is poised to make history as the first female to serve as lead TV analyst for NBA Finals.https://t.co/kh3mldVbGu pic.twitter.com/4ZgdHRRrwA
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) January 24, 2024
Burke has carried the mantle of the sole commentator for most of her media career, and some of her best work was done alongside veteran play-by-play announcer Mark Jones.
In addition to his work on ESPN and ABC, Breen has and continues to spend the majority of his career in a two-person team for MSG Network’s New York Knicks coverage.
Breen works mostly with dual Hall of Famer Walt “Clyde” Frazier, but also does games with Wally Szczerbiak, the longtime former Minnesota Timberwolves guard and New York native.
This is a good decision by ESPN for two reasons.
It’s safe to assume that when the network decided to run with the Breen-Burke-Rivers pairing, there was always the possibility that Rivers could be called to coach somewhere, though it certainly didn’t expect that to happen so soon.
Having Burke in the booth meant that ESPN would always maintain some depth of player and coaching analysis as plays developed, though losing Rivers means that it doesn’t have the insights of someone with the most recent experience in the game itself.
Additionally, the trio just had a half-season together and not a huge number of telecasts under its belt. To bring someone else on this sudden would be akin to trying to fix a car while it’s being driven on the road.
There could be good fortune if one of its current analysts could jump into the mix and work seamlessly with Breen and Burke, yet the remainder of this season also gives Breen and Burke more time to gel together and build a foundation for whomever the third person is in the future.
The timing of this change could not be more fitting for ESPN because their now-former employee and the Bucks visit the Portland Trail Blazers on Jan. 31.
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