Former Knicks Rise, Fall in ESPN NBA Coverage Shuffle

Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are set to be removed from primary national broadcasts next season but there will still be a voice somewhat familiar to New York Knicks fans alongside Mike Breen.

ESPN is providing a "BANG" and then some to its NBA coverage.

Per Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, the Worldwide Leader's broadcasts of high-profile NBA games will very different next season: while Mike Breen will be retained as the play-by-play man, analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will be replaced by Doris Burke and Doc Rivers. 

While Marchand said there was a possibility that Jackson, who had two years left on his Bristol contract, could be retained on the second team, Peter Vecsey has since confirmed that he has left the network. Van Gundy was previously part of a massive purge via layoffs earlier this summer, with notable names like Neil Everett, Suzy Kolber, Todd McShay, and Steve Young also among the departures.

The tandem of Breen, Jackson, and Van Gundy originally formed in 2007. With the exception of Jackson's two-year departure (2012-13) while he was the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, the trio had called games in every edition of the NBA Finals on ABC in that span.

New York Knicks fans perhaps appreciated their prescience despite a lack of major postseason representation in the new century: Breen has been the Knicks' primary play-by-play man on MSG Network since 2004, Jackson played six NBA seasons in New York (1987-1992, 2001-02), and Van Gundy stands as the third-winningest head coach in franchise history.

Despite the departures, a somewhat familiar voice beyond Breen will continue to call the biggest games: Rivers, who recently ended a three-year term as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, played parts of three seasons (1992-94) with the Knicks, including 19 games in their run to the 1994 NBA Finals. Rivers previously worked with ABC's NBA coverage in 2004, when he called the NBA Finals alongside Al Michaels. 

Burke, set to become the first woman to be part of an NBA Finals television booth, also holds connections to Madison Square Garden basketball, previously calling New York Liberty games on MSG Network during their time under Knicks ownership. 

After a 47-win season that ended with the team's first playoff series victory since 2013, the Knicks will likely be tapped for several national appearances this season. The 2023-24 NBA schedule will be released on a date to be determined.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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