The second round of the NBA Playoffs is underway as the Boston Celtics square up against the Philadelphia 76ers with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals on the line. Celtics play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman joined Toucher & Rich on 98.5 The Sports Hub Wednesday morning to discuss the series.
While it is typical for radio programs to have commentators from teams on the air to proffer their viewpoints and opinions of the game, Gorman did so on his own accord.
“Mike did not have to be on today,” show co-host Rich Shertenlieb said. “He never has to be on. He volunteered to be on because he’s just that kind of guy.”
Gorman has been calling Celtics games for the last 41 seasons, and he plans to make the 2023-24 campaign his last. He recently suffered a health scare when he lost the ability to see out of his left eye and was rushed to the hospital where doctors discovered a detached retina. Nonetheless, he was back calling Celtics games just two days later, albeit wearing an eye patch to prevent his eye from being overexposed to light. He did not travel with the team during its first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks prior to Game 6, but has been present at TD Garden for the team’s playoff games.
“We were sitting [in] what was supposed to be the ESPN Radio seats, but they didn’t show up for some reason,” Gorman said. “We had no monitor or anything; [Brian Scalabrine] and I as we watched the game. I haven’t watched a game in its completion without having a monitor to look at in a long time, so I didn’t see any of that.”
NBC Sports Boston opted not to utilize a play-by-play announcer for the third and fourth games of the first playoff round because radio voice Sean Grande was unavailable and Gorman was recovering from having a detached retina. The decision received criticism from several people from around sports media, with Shertenlieb then calling the move “minor league” of the network.
In his appearance on the show, Gorman spoke about the nuances of Game 1 between the Celtics and 76ers, specifically talking about a play where 76ers forward P.J. Tucker hit Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Although it was not ruled to be a flagrant foul during the game action, the angle from which the radio show obtained demonstrated ostensible intent behind the hit. Shertenlieb then surmised to Gorman that the lack of a replay from his vantage point must have been “infuriating.”
“The thing I don’t think everybody is getting a handle on [is that] the playoffs are different,” Gorman explained. “All you analytic guys out there; just take those stats and throw them out the window.”
At the conclusion of his appearance, Shertenlieb asked Gorman that if he had a chance after the game on Thursday, they would be willing to welcome him on the show. Gorman assured them that he would return, a promise the show considered gracious on his part.
“That’s a cool move that you’re doing it,” Shertenlieb said to Gorman. “Mike has just offered to come on after the home games, which we really appreciate.”
