1. The NBA was a much simpler animal from a broadcast perspective last season when games aired only on ESPN/ABC and TNT.
In that setup, ESPN aired the Western Conference finals, which featured the Timberwolves and Thunder. TNT aired the Eastern Conference finals between the Pacers and Knicks. Kevin Harlan was the play-by-play voice for TNT while Mike Breen did the honors for ESPN.
However, with New York in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 26 years, Harlan wanted Breen, the longtime voice of the Knicks, to call the East series and pitched the idea of a job swap.
“He calls me a couple of days before the series,” Breen told the New York Post, “and he says, ‘You’ve been waiting almost three decades for the Knicks to be in a conference final. I want you to call the games for TNT. I’m gonna go to my bosses, I’m gonna tell them that you should do it and I’ll go do the West for ESPN. I know my bosses would love to have you. You deserve it. This is the team you’ve followed. Even if ESPN doesn’t want to use me and they want to use one of their announcers, whether it was Dave Pasch or Mark Jones, I’m fine. I’ll sit it out.’”
“That’s the kind of man Kevin Harlan is,” said Breen. “I was so touched by that. He said, think about it overnight and we’ll talk tomorrow. So, I thought about it overnight and he called again the next day.
“This was not some gratuitous, ‘Let me throw this offer out there.’ He wanted to do this for a friend. And we both decided it’s probably not the right thing to do for our employers, so we didn’t go through with it.”
Breen added, “I was so touched by the fact that he thought that way. Again, that’s the type of man he is.”
Mike Breen tells @DHenryTV how much it meant to him that Kevin Harlan actually offered to let him call the Knicks-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals on TNT last season.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) May 29, 2026
Full conversation --> https://t.co/fkcDCEjNqY pic.twitter.com/5Cm6Mts1Wg
What really would’ve been fascinating about all this is whether TNT and ESPN would’ve signed off the switch. Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
Meanwhile, in perhaps a twist of good karma here, Breen, who has been the Knicks’ television voice since 1997, is finally set to call an NBA Finals featuring New York for the first time in his career beginning on Wednesday.
2. Here’s the thing about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ridiculous flopping. It has gotten a lot of attention in the Western Conference finals. The scrutiny is going to go to a whole other level during the NBA Finals when more people are tuning in and the New York media will be ready to pounce. Here are some of SGA’s antics from the Thunder’s loss in Game 6 on Thursday.
Shai lost the ball, so he threw himself to the floor and started rolling like he got hit by a truck. pic.twitter.com/MWIvrcyw5h
— House of Lowlights (@HouseLowlights) May 29, 2026
SGA flopped twice in 6 seconds and didn't get the call either time 😭 pic.twitter.com/RTj6EyJFC3
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) May 29, 2026
Shai is truly SHAMELESS
— TheTruth (@TheTruth8240) May 29, 2026
He has reached RIDICULOUS levels of flopping
Credit:@Hero_OfThe_Day pic.twitter.com/hbm2a3PUVy
3. Bryce Harper has broken his silence over going viral for showing the bizarre way he applies toothpaste in a TikTok video.
“I mean, it’s gone viral, so I’m happy about that,” Harper told Phillies Nation. “It always helps with my videos when it goes viral, so if that’s what makes it go viral, then I’ll take it.”
I know I’m old, but I find it amazing that one of the most well-known baseball players who has a $330 million contract cares about going viral on TikTok, but here we are.
Talked to Bryce Harper about the toothpaste and the reaction to his TikTok:
— Ty Daubert (@TyDaubert) May 27, 2026
“It kind of happens when you post a little bit, right? But yeah, I’ve done it forever.”https://t.co/vCivVHZRKS
4. The best take I’ve seen BY FAR (not surprisingly) on the Jaxson Dart-Abdul Carter controversy came from Green Light’s Chris Long, summarized here by Awful Announcing. It’s so good to see a nuanced and layered explanation for a change.
5. I’ll never understand this. Terry Rozier was in the middle of a four-year, $96.2 million contract. Yet, he was allegedly enticed by $100,000?
Federal prosecutors allege Terry Rozier agreed to a $100,000 bribe in order to manipulate his performance in an NBA game as part of a gambling scheme and filed two new charges against him Thursday. https://t.co/v9t4zwxWqB
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 29, 2026
6. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina is a mailbag episode.
The show starts with Sal Licata from SNY TV and The Sal Licata Show discussing the Knicks’ playoff run, potential NBA Finals matchups and the betting odds for the NBA Finals. Next up is a conversation about Netflix’s new Martin Short documentary and the passing of Rob Base.
After that is a lengthy mailbag segment where I answer questions from listeners. Among the topics people asked about: Can the NYPD handle the MSG crowd if the Knicks win the NBA title; Which broadcast booth would we like to hear call one more game; What question do people want the media to ask Mike Vrabel; best and worst streaming services; Danhausen; book and television show recommendations; movies that get multiple viewings; encores at concerts and much more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
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