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Celtics' Hot Start vs. Cavs Had Mike Breen Dropping Rare 'Bang!' in First Quarter

A fun moment before Boston's collapse against the top team in the East.

Tom Dierberger

Mike Breen has been calling NBA games for ESPN since 2003.
Mike Breen has been calling NBA games for ESPN since 2003. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Boston Celtics came to play Friday night against the top team in the Eastern Conference—at least early on, that is.

Behind seven three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, Boston built a 25–3 lead at TD Garden over the Cleveland Cavaliers. And play-by-play announcer Mike Breen couldn't contain his excitement.

Breen typically saves his patented "Bang!" call for big moments when a player swishes a pivotal shot. But with the Celtics knocking down seven of their first nine attempts from deep in a prime-time clash between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, Breen unleashed a rare "Bang!" call in the first quarter.

The NBA world took note of the early "Bang!" call:

Unfortunately for the Boston fans at TD Garden, the Celtics didn't pack much of a punch the rest of the night. Cleveland slowly chipped away at the early 22-point deficit and took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.

Behind 41 points from Donovan Mitchell and a double-double from Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers stormed back to beat the Celtics 123–116 and widen the gap in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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