Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, two longtime staples of ESPN’s broadcast crew for the N.B.A. finals, will miss the opening recreation of the championship collection between Golden State and the Boston Celtics. An ESPN spokesman mentioned that each broadcasters had examined constructive for the coronavirus in latest days, however Van Gundy mentioned in an interview that he had not.
The N.B.A. finals start Thursday in San Francisco and can be the 14th championship collection that includes Breen on play-by-play alongside Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, two former N.B.A. head coaches. As a substitute, Sport 1 will probably be known as by Jackson and Mark Jones, with Lisa Salters because the sideline reporter.
Breen missed Sport 7 of the Jap Convention finals collection between Miami and Boston on Sunday after testing constructive for the virus. Van Gundy and Jackson, who had known as video games with Breen over the prior week, continued on with the sport, with Jones filling in for Breen.
Van Gundy mentioned in an interview Thursday that he had not been examined for the virus earlier than Sunday’s recreation as a result of he was asymptomatic, though his voice was noticeably hoarse in the course of the Sport 7 broadcast. The N.B.A. didn’t institute a testing mandate for members of the tv and information media for this yr’s playoffs, because it did final postseason.
Van Gundy mentioned that on Monday, upon flying residence to Houston, he began to really feel slight signs. The subsequent day, he took a house take a look at, which he mentioned was inconclusive. ESPN then despatched Van Gundy two different fast assessments, which he mentioned got here out damaging. Van Gundy additionally mentioned he wasn’t certain why he had been pulled from broadcasting Sport 1, and that he hoped to be again for Sport 2 Sunday in San Francisco.
Van Gundy added that he was now not experiencing signs.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Kendra Andrews, reporters who steadily seem on air for ESPN, have additionally examined constructive for the coronavirus, and can miss the collection opener. Andrews is a beat author overlaying Golden State, and Wojnarowski is the community’s prime N.B.A. reporter.
