When an NBA head coach gets fired, he typically takes some time away from the spotlight. But when Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed by the Houston Rockets after four seasons on May 18, 2007, he was in the ESPN broadcast booth that very night, calling Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns.
“I remember him coming right in, and we were thrilled for a number of reasons,” said Mike Breen, a voice on NBA telecasts for more than 25 years who worked that game alongside Van Gundy and Mark Jackson.