ABC Embracing Its First NBA Finals Broadcasts From New York

BusinessSportsMoneyABC Embracing Its First NBA Finals Broadcasts From New YorkByJohn Cassillo,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. L.A.-based lead analyst at The Measure, covering the data behind sports media topics.Follow AuthorJun 02, 2026, 02:35pm EDTNEW YORK, NY - MAY 31: A general view of signage for "New York Knicks Advance To The Finals" on the exterior of Madison Square Garden on May 31, 2026, in New York, NY. The New York Knicks are the 2026 Eastern Conference Champions and are playing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Knicks were NBA champions in 1970 and 1973. (Photo by Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesWhen audiences tune into game three of this year’s NBA Finals, it will be a series of major milestones.Not only will that mark the first NBA Finals game that Madison Square Garden has hosted in 27 years, but it will be ABC’s first Finals broadcast from its corporate headquarters in New York.Play-by-play voice Mike Breen, handling his 21st consecutive Finals, will also be calling his first Knicks Finals game since taking over New York’s lead announcer position on MSG Network in 2004.The moment’s not lost on the native New Yorker. As he relayed to the New York Daily News, “I can’t tell you how many fans over the past couple of weeks, when you see them on the street or anywhere, they say, ‘Oh, I’ve waited my whole life for this.’”Breen, who watched the Knicks’ only two championships when he was a kid, may not publicly say that he has personally waited his whole life for this moment. But his dual role as both a Knicks and national broadcaster makes him the perfect vehicle for what should be ABC’s biggest Finals presentation yet.At Home in New YorkThe 2026 NBA Finals will be a coming party for both the Knicks and incredibly young San Antonio Spurs. But it’s also a moment for ABC and ESPN to claim a win on its “home turf” in the country’s larges...