Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, two longtime staples of ESPN’s broadcast team for N.B.A. finals games, will miss the opening game of the championship series between Golden State and the Boston Celtics. An ESPN spokesman said that both broadcasters had tested positive for the coronavirus in recent days, but Van Gundy said in an interview that he had not.
The N.B.A. finals begin Thursday in San Francisco and would be the 14th championship series featuring Breen on play-by-play alongside Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, two former N.B.A. coaches. Instead, the broadcast will be called by Jackson and Mark Jones, with Lisa Salters as the sideline reporter.