Knicks analyst Monica McNutt had a difficult job during New York’s comeback victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday.
While on the radio call for ESPN NY 98.7, she had to stay composed while her play-by-play broadcasting partner summarized the chaos at the end of the game. This resulted in an all-timer of a call on the TV broadcast from Mike Breen.
As the Philadelphia announcers prematurely called it a win for the 76ers, those in the radio booth for New York waited patiently until the finish line. This wasn’t easy, but fans fortunately got a sneak behind the curtain about what it looked like for McNutt to watch the final stretch unfold.
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
McNutt silently surveyed and studied the game as the clock inched closer to its final buzzer.
While no one was able to hear her during these moments, all the while, her facial expressions indicated she was still experiencing the roller-coaster of a finish that all the fans did as well. She is feeling all the feelings.
After waiting a beat during New York’s marvelous comeback, McNutt was then somehow able to find herself perfectly composed as she provided some excellent color commentary describing what just happened.
“This is unreal. 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 as anyone will listen: ‘We will find a way.’ Jalen Brunson has had a flat-out terrible basketball game but knocks down a three to make it a one possession ballgame. The scramble, the rebound, and Donte DiVincenzo — who set a new Knick high in 3-pointers made adds one more in this postseason. Oh my God.”
She did not hold back about how crazy the finish was for the Knicks but still managed to sound far more reasonable with her reaction than most could ever imagine.