Jeff Van Gundy sounded sick during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and he indeed was.
The New York Post reported Thursday that Van Gundy will miss Thursday’s NBA Finals Game 1 due to COVID-19, snapping his 85-game streak of Finals broadcasts dating back to 2007. Per John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, Van Gundy’s play-by-play partner Mike Breen — who missed Game 7 after testing positive — will also miss Game 1. Breen had called 91-straight Finals games dating back to 2006.
ESPN will have Mark Jackson as its sole analyst for Game 1, leaving Doris Burke in her normal radio role. Had Burke called the game on television, she would have become the first woman to ever do so on a “Big Four” championship event. Mark Jones will fill in for Breen as he did on Game 7.
Jones, who is in his 32nd year with ESPN, will be only the seventh person to call an NBA Finals game on television in the past 40 years — joining Breen, Al Michaels (2004-05), Brad Nessler (2003), Marv Albert (1991-97, 2001-02), Bob Costas (1998-00) and Dick Stockton (1982-90).
Van Gundy did not sound like his usual self throughout Sunday’s Game 7, leading to widespread speculation about his status on social media. Per the Post, ESPN hopes to have Van Gundy return by Game 3 next Wednesday. Due to the stretched out Finals schedule, Van Gundy has more than a week to recover before the earliest-possible ending of the series on June 10.
Breen would seem closer to a return. He has reportedly felt fine despite testing positive and was there was initial hope he would be back for Thursday’s game.
Van Gundy is the first lead NBA analyst to miss a Finals game since Steve “Snapper” Jones missed Game 1 of the 2002 NBA Finals for NBC. There is no prior instance of a lead NBA play-by-play voice missing a Finals game, though NBC and Turner’s Marv Albert missed the entire first round of the 2002 playoffs after he and partner Mike Fratello were involved in a car accident.
Beyond the NBA, no lead voice of a “Big Four” sports league has missed a championship-level game since Mike Emrick missed Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final due to a family emergency. Kenny Albert filled in.
In addition to Van Gundy and Breen, ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski is also said to be out with COVID.
