Mike Breen stayed on the clock for just seconds in the Knicks series, which acquired the Pistons, breaking out a double “bang” with Jalen Branson's go-ahead shot.
The Knicks and NBA signature voices were called Shots as a tiny Caesar Arena in shock.
“Branson, leave the three of you,” Breen explained on the broadcast.
“Bang! Bang! Jalen Branson hits three with 4.3 left, and the piston calls for a timeout!” he continued.
Breen later added: “Captain Crunchtime will do it again.”
The longtime broadcaster has never failed to encapsulate the big moments he's making a call, and according to a list compiled by Sports News, the double “bang” is only saved at the biggest stage, and the Thursday moment is the ninth time he's done it.
Breen broke out a double “van” earlier this season last month for the Mikal Bridge Bridge Budser Beater 3-pointer against the Trail Blazers.
The well-known broadcaster previously explained what it needs to go into for a moment in order for Donte Divincenzo to score a double “van” after hitting a clutch three-pointer in Game 2 of last year's playoff series Agays The 76ers.
“Three or four specific things had to happen, and they did, so when he hit that shot and the crowd went crazy, it just came out,” Breen said at the time. “It's not something that was thought of. It came out for such an epic play during this extraordinary sequence in such a huge playoff game.”
Breen said while appearing “ESPN Daily” podcast In 2022, the origins of his signature catchphrase came from his time at Fordham University.
The broadcaster began his journey as a student member of the university's radio station WFUV, but the first time he cried out “Bang” was not broadcast.
“Around 10 or 15 of us joined the university radio station WFUV. And if we didn't announce it, we went to all Fordham basketball games,” he explained. “And we went to the game and when the Fordham players hit a big shot, that was what I cried out in the stands. That was the origin of why I tried to use it in the air.”
