The Boston Celtics came to play Friday night against the top team in the Eastern Conference—at least early on, that is.
Behind seven three-pointers in the first five minutes of the game, Boston built a 25–3 lead at TD Garden over the Cleveland Cavaliers. And play-by-play announcer Mike Breen couldn't contain his excitement.
Breen typically saves his patented "Bang!" call for big moments when a player swishes a pivotal shot. But with the Celtics knocking down seven of their first nine attempts from deep in a prime-time clash between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference, Breen unleashed a rare "Bang!" call in the first quarter.
Tatum hits the Celtics' SEVENTH triple less than 5 minutes into the game 🔥 pic.twitter.com/jx5hqRpuPl
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 1, 2025
The NBA world took note of the early "Bang!" call:
Mike Breen “Bang” only 5 MINS into the game 😳 (via @NBATV)
— Overtime (@overtime) March 1, 2025
Is that a new record?
pic.twitter.com/MfjbwwxTCG
Cavs losing so bad we got a Mike Breen “BANG” 5 mins into the game 😭 pic.twitter.com/rGojlyMS1G
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) March 1, 2025
Unfortunately for the Boston fans at TD Garden, the Celtics didn't pack much of a punch the rest of the night. Cleveland slowly chipped away at the early 22-point deficit and took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
Behind 41 points from Donovan Mitchell and a double-double from Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers stormed back to beat the Celtics 123–116 and widen the gap in the race for the Eastern Conference's No. 1 playoff seed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Celtics' Hot Start vs. Cavs Had Mike Breen Dropping Rare 'Bang!' in First Quarter.
