Mike and Tommy.
For 39 seasons — beginning in Larry Bird’s third year, carrying from the original Boston Garden to the new one, covering Paul Pierce’s entire career, and bridging four championships — Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn weren’t just familiar to Celtics fans. Sometime early on, they became family.
Gorman’s crisp, understated style (“Takes it … makes it!”), Heinsohn’s boisterousness (“You’ve got to be kidding me!”), and their shared good humor and effortless rapport led them to exceed the usual status of even the most popular broadcast teams.
They, like the best of friends, like family, earned first-name-basis status upon first reference.