Sunday night’s Game 7 between the Heat and Celtics in Miami will sound a bit different than expected, as ESPN will be without its top play-by-play man Mike Breen after the legendary broadcaster tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him out of the booth for Sunday night’s action. In his place, Mark Jones will step in alongside Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, with Breen hoping to be back for Thursday’s Game 1 of the NBA Finals on ABC when the Warriors play host to the winner of Sunday night’s contest.
ABC/ESPN lead play by play voice Mike Breen tested positive for COVID and will miss tonight's Game 7 unfortunately. He feels fine and expects to be back for Game 1.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) May 29, 2022
Mike Breen will not call tonight's Game 7 due to testing positive for COVID, an ESPN spokesman told The Post.
Breen feels fine and the hope is for him to be available for Game 1 of the Finals.
Mark Jones will replace Breen on Game 7 of Heat-Celtics tonight.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 29, 2022
The hope, of course, is that Breen continues to feel fine and is able to clear protocols to be in San Francisco on Thursday. Breen’s presence is synonymous with big moments and big games in the NBA and he will certainly be missed in Miami on Sunday night, but the most important thing is that the voice of the Finals gets well soon.
Mark Jones will surely step in and perform admirably as one of the best play-by-play commentators in the business, but it is almost fitting that in a series that has been defined by major absences on both the Celtics and the Heat, that even the commentary booth will have to deal with a lineup change of its own.
