ONE of the main storylines of the PBA 49th Season Governors’ Cup Finals is the coaching match-up between Chot Reyes and Tim Cone, mentors who were involved in the Gilas Pilipinas men’s national team program, past and present.
The longtime friends, however, would rather deflect the attention to the players, who they believe will be the deciding factors in the best-of-seven finals which will start on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
“Just very, very happy to be here playing against a tough team with an excellent coach,” said Reyes during Thursday’s PBA Finals press conference at The Atrium inside the Enderun College campus in Taguig City. “In the end, magkakatalo ‘yan sa how the players execute and the team that is able to exert their own style of play on the basketball court.”
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“I know there is a lot of talk about me and Tim. But I’m sure he will agree that the players are going to determine how the outcome of the series is going to be,” said Reyes, who was under Cone during their early coaching years in the PBA with Alaska before moving to the Purefoods franchise in 1993.
Cone shares the same sentiment in their seventh finals match-up against each other, saying that, in the end, the spotlight on the finals should be on the players.
“It’s not going to come down to me and Chot,” said Cone, who for his part was an assistant coach at Gilas Pilipinas during Reyes’ tenure in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. “It’s going to come down to Rondae and Justin, and the players around them. They are going to the one who will decide the series. And that’s how it should be.”
TNT and Barangay Ginebra will compete for the championship once again after the Tropang Giga upended the Gin Kings in six games of the 2023 Governors’ Cup Finals.
The PBA Finals rematch between Hollis-Jefferson and Brownlee is also keenly awaited after the TNT import dealt Ginebra's resident import his first defeat in a championship series after winning his first six.
TNT’s Jayson Castro, Calvin Oftana, and Poy Erram will also vie for the title against young guns RJ Abarrientos and Stephen Holt, who have blended well with holdovers Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar at Barangay Ginebra.
“It’s a lot of fun watching Rondae play. His style of play is really fun to watch, and watching Justin in our system is going to be fun for them,” said Cone.
“I just think it’s really a match made in heaven. The fans will have a great time watching the series,” he added.
TNT will be looking to repeat against Barangay Ginebra in the Governors’ Cup after topping Group A of the 49th Season eliminations, beating NLEX and Rain or Shine in the playoff round.
Finishing the eliminations at No. 3 in Group B, Barangay Ginebra hurdled Meralco in the quarterfinals before defeating San Miguel in six games in the semifinals.
“I don’t look at the trends. I don’t look at the past. What’s important is what’s in front of me. Just very happy to be here,” said Reyes, who lost in his last title duel against Cone during the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup when TNT was defeated by B-Meg in Game Seven.
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