While the New York Knicks patiently wait for either the Pistons or Cavaliers to advance and serve as their direct conference final foe, on Wednesday, news officially broke that a beloved franchise icon will be joining the team for their upcoming run.
And while it was recently reported that there's "an expectation" that OG Anunoby (hamstring) will be able to play as soon as Game 1 of round three, in this instance, we're actually talking about Mike Breen.
Despite MSG Networks not having any broadcasting rights this postseason, thanks to his role as lead NBA play-by-play announcer for ESPN/ ABC, the iconic voice of the Knicks will be on the call for every game of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, as both stations combine to own the exclusive rights to these remaining rounds.
Breen has been a prominent figure in New York's broadcasting talent pool since the early 1990s, and has served as the club's full-time lead play-by-play announcer on MSG since 2004, creating a dream, on-screen dynamic duo alongside fellow Knicks legend (both as a player and commentator), Walt "Clyde" Frazier.
Now, though unfortunately without his aforementioned counter part, the Hall of Fame broadcaster will once again be on the call for every remaining Knicks game of this year's playoff run.
Knicks champing at the bit while awaiting start of conference finals
With the semifinals series between Detroit and Cleveland slated to go at least six games, as things currently stand, there's no official word on when the Eastern Conference Finals will get underway.
This suspense seems to be highly bothersome to the Knicks.
At least, that's what Josh Hart seemed to suggest during a recent media session, where he told reporters he's "just waiting to get back out there."
"The first series, we had, what, four days break, I think it was? That was good enough, yeah. This right now, I think, what, at least a week... nine days? It's a long time. Obviously, it's good for recovery. But mentally, I'm watching the games, I'm just like, just waiting... It's a little long," Hartsaid.
The Knicks wrapped up their second-round sweep over the Philadelphia 76ers so quickly that they were actually the first team to punch their ticket to this year's conference finals.
Now, despite the impatience from Hart as a result of this long layover, the time off should be seen as highly beneficial, both for himself as he deals with a thumb sprain as well as his fellow teammates, like the earlier mentioned Anunoby, who has been held out since Game 2 with a hamstring strain.
Regardless, it's still nice to see the Knicks remain mentally focused on the task at hand during their mid-postseason hiatus.
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