On the wall of 10-year-old Mike Breen’s childhood home is a picture of his basketball idol, the flashy point guard for the Knicks, known simply as Clyde to generations of die-hard fans. There are posters of him there, and he claims he still is.
Decades later, Breen and Walt Frazier became broadcast partners, first on the radio and then for the first time sharing game calls on the MSG Network on February 5, 1999, during a game between the Knicks and Magic.
“They showed us that clip. I look like I’m 11 years old, and this son is [gun] I look the same now as I did then,” Breen joked while sitting next to the 78-year-old Frazier in an interview last week.
MSG will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the popular duo’s television partnership on Tuesday night by airing a chat with the Hall of Fame play-by-play man and his beloved longtime partner, now a two-time Hall of Famer. It’s planned. As a superstar player and a colorful color analyst, before, during and after Tuesday’s broadcast of the Knicks vs. Grizzlies game.
“If you’re a professional player, you know there’s a limit. Sooner or later, players are going to retire after 12 years, if they’re lucky, 14 years,” Frazier said. “It was a new thing for me, I enjoyed it and then I worked with Mike, and I loved working with Mike, I had never thought about the timeline of it. .
“But it feels like less than 25 years have passed.”
Of course, after a stellar playing career with the Knicks that featured seven All-Star appearances and two NBA championships from 1967 to 1977, Frazier’s No. 10 jersey hangs in the rafters in his yard.
Like Phil Rizzuto’s dual career with the Yankees, another generation knows Frazier well for his impeccable timing and fashion sense, rhyming alongside Breen over the past two decades.
“For me, it was like, ‘Are you kidding me?'” Breen said. “When I was approached by the Knicks’ radio announcer, I never dreamed it would happen. …But then I found out that my partner was a guy who was one of my childhood heroes. .
“I was surprised at first. He didn’t know it at the time, but I was so nervous. …Here’s a Hall of Famer, I’m a young broadcaster, and he brought me in, They treated me with respect and so much kindness that it gave me all the confidence in the world.”
Breen’s signature “bang” call has been a staple of the past 18 NBA Finals as a national broadcaster on ABC and ESPN, and he won the prestigious Curt Gordy Media Award in 2020. At that time, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Mr. Frazier.
Frazier was inducted into the Hall of Fame as an active player in 1987, 35 years later, and two years later, he was also honored as a broadcaster.
“It’s unprecedented. It really is,” Breen said. “So what he’s done is he’s carved out a very niche area for his style and never wavered from that style. When he first started rhyming, he had some criticism. He wasn’t welcomed with open arms, but he accepted it. And his vocabulary is off the charts.
“His style is so unique. But every time I listen to every game, I learn something, and I still do. It’s amazing how he became a great Hall of Fame broadcaster. I think that’s one of the most remarkable things.”
“What led us both to the Hall of Fame,” Frazier said, was that they began appearing on radio together during the 1992-93 season and the legendary broadcasts of Marv Albert and Breen before they were players. He says he was coached by author Marty Glickman on how to be descriptive and express his opinions. Knicks announcer.
“When I first met Mike, I had no idea of the admiration he had for me,” Frazier said of a poster in Breen’s childhood home in Yonkers. talked about. “They had us play simulation games in the garden, and the chemistry we had was magical, but ours was all about respect.
“Mike gave me the opportunity to be more articulate than the average person of color. The first time we got together, he said, ‘Clyde, people don’t listen to what you say. I want to hear it, so just say it.” Don’t worry about nuance, just say it and do what you have to do. ” When he said that, I felt very confident. ”
Of course, the Knicks made it to the NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999, but Breen recalls: I’m like, “Well, it’s not going to get any better than this.” The team I grew up rooting for is the team that has a chance to win a championship every year; I’m calling the players to the game. ” ”
But after 20 years of watching more basketball together, Frazier says he’s “alive” thanks to his current team, led by Tom Thibodeau, and All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle. He spoke brilliantly.
“I think there are a lot of similarities between my championship teams,” Frazier said. “The defensive line, Thisbus is like this.” [Hall of Fame coach] red [Holzman], hold these people accountable. Their camaraderie, the players like each other and interact together, so I really respect that.
“I remember Count Pearl. [Monroe]When he was traded to the Knicks [in 1971], I was told it would never work. You know, he needs two basketballs, but what they overlooked was that we respected each other.That’s what made Mike and me. [as a duo], I respect you, man. He respected me from day one and we became a great team. ”
Frazier has played fewer road games in recent seasons, but said he wants to continue working with Breen “as much as possible,” adding, “and hopefully we’ll see another championship in the meantime.”
