Tyrese Haliburton stunningly did not receive a “BANG!” from Mike Breen on his epic game-winner in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Now Breen is defending himself against the criticism of his call.
The Indiana Pacers star Haliburton was once again the hero in Thursday’s Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, O.K. After Indiana trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter, Haliburton’s breathtaking shot with 0.3 seconds left gave the Pacers one of the unlikeliest wins in Finals history.
Breen, who was calling the game for ESPN, declined to give Haliburton a “BANG!” for his game-winner though and instead settled for an “IT’S GOOD!” Countless viewers noted what a big snub that seemed like from Breen.
Can we talk about how this might be the biggest Mike Breen “Bang” snub of all time? pic.twitter.com/4ngH0Jy9j2
— Nick Bateman (@nickbateman33) June 6, 2025
Speaking in an interview Friday with SI’s Jimmy Traina, Breen explained himself. Essentially, Breen said that he reserves the “BANG!” for three-pointers only.
“We were so happy with such a fun game and a great comeback,” said Breen. “And now there’s obviously juice to the series, and I liked the Haliburton call, and then I find out later that I’m getting destroyed because I didn’t say ‘BANG!’”
“I think in all these years I only said bang for a two-pointer once,” Breen added. “It was a Kobe Bryant game-winner in the playoffs when he hit a shot against Phoenix, and it was the only time. That’s the only time. I save it for threes. In hindsight, because of the magnitude of the shot, it certainly would’ve worked and made people happy. But I don’t premeditate the call, and it was such an unbelievable shot. If he was beyond the 3-point mark, I probably would’ve said ‘BANG!’”
“BANG!” is the 64-year-old Breen’s signature call. But he does indeed reserve it almost exclusively for three-pointers. The most famous example of that so far this postseason was New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson’s series-winning three-pointer in the first round against the Detroit Pistons (which actually earned an even rarer double “BANG!” from Breen).
It is possible too that Breen is especially under the microscope these days given the unpopular state of the ESPN NBA team. After his longtime partners Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson were let go by ESPN two summers ago, Breen has struggled to find chemistry with his new partners Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson. Now there are some rumors that ESPN could potentially shake up that crew in the booth after this season.
