Knicks fans will be missing Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier in their opening-round playoff series against the Hawks.
For the first time ever, the NBA is pushing all local network broadcasts out of the playoffs in favor of the national television networks, which paid a hefty price for the rights to air the playoff product.
In past years, the first round of the playoffs would air on the local channels with the home broadcast team locally, while also offering a national broadcast to out-of-market fans.
Mike Breen, who is the Knicks’ play-by-play voice and also the lead commentator for ESPN, crushed the decision on the final day of the Knicks’ regular season.
“First time ever that no longer can the home team announcers and broadcasters televise the first round,” Breen said on the MSG broadcast during the Knicks’ 110-96 loss to the Hornets in which they sat most of their starters.
“The entire playoffs are exclusive to national TV broadcasters. I mentioned this earlier this season. I think personally, Clyde, it’s a poor decision. Fans want to hear their home team announcers, at least in the first round. For so many of us, they become part of the family. I get it. The networks pay a fortune for exclusivity, and I work for one of the networks, but fans deserve to be thrown a bone once in a while in terms of letting the home team have a little bit of the first round.”
The NBA’s new TV deal started this season, where they agreed to a $76 billion broadcast rights deal, which separated the product across multiple platforms to broadcast the league over the next 11 seasons.
Breen thought “throwing the fans a bone” should have been a priority even after commissioner Adam Silver and the league were able to successfully negotiate massive rights deals with Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon.
Breen would like the league and its streaming partners to work out a deal to let the local broadcasters step back in, but recognized that it’s unlikely.
“Somehow, if there’s any way they can work out some kind of compromise, I’m not hopeful for that, but it would be wonderful to have it because this is our final telecast of the season,” Breen said.
Breen has talked about this a few times while on MSG airwaves, as the Knicks hope for a lengthy playoff run after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The league has found itself in a difficult place on a number of issues recently.
Between tanking concerns and the season being too long, some pundits have been clamoring for a shorter season.
However, broadcast partners would surely be furious about losing inventory.
