Game 1 of the NBA Finals was one for the ages.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Indiana Pacers, as they have so often done in the 2025 postseason, staged another fourth-quarter rally. It all culminated in star guard Tyrese Haliburton hitting the game-winning jumper with just 0.3 seconds to play, giving the Pacers a 111-110 victory and a 1-0 series lead.
Despite the thrilling game, a lot of discussion surrounded ESPN announcer Mike Breen and his call of the play.
Announcer Mike Breen Explains Why He Didn’t Yell ‘BANG’
Part of the lore of prime time NBA matchups on ESPN/ABC is Breen yelling his signature ‘BANG’ during key moments. However, the legendary commentator did not shout his catchphrase after Haliburton’s game-winner.
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
It seemed like the perfect time for Breen to pull out his signature line, but he explained his reasoning for why he did not.
“I think in all these years I only said bang for a two-pointer once,” Breen told Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated. “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!’”
Breen revealed that he has been being hounded online for not shouting ‘BANG!’
“We were so happy with such a fun game and a great comeback,” Breen explained. “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!’
Although Breen’s explanation does make sense and his call did show his excitement in the moment, fans still feel like they missed out on hearing Breen make the call, especially with Haliburton having one of the most clutch playoff runs in league history.
It will be interesting to see if the Pacers, specifically Haliburton, continue to come up clutch when the Pacers and Thunder meet again Sunday night.
