COME January 7, Norman Black and Tim Cone will be squaring off in a PBA Governors' Cup Finals for the third time in four seasons, just the latest face-off between two of the most successful coaches in the pro league.
By now, you'd think they must really hate each other's guts, right?
Well, it's exactly the opposite.
"Believe it or not, Tim and I have become friends," Black said with a laugh after the Bolts wrapped up another mid-afternoon practice at the Meralco Gym, four days before Game One of the best-of-seven title series against Cone and Ginebra.
The two Americans were anything but friends in their early years in the pro league, as they waged countless battles while Black moved from San Miguel to Mobiline to Pop Cola to Sta. Lucia to TnT to Meralco and Cone from Alaska to San Mig to Ginebra.
There were also the occasional clashes, mostly over garbage-time baskets that have become Cone's pet peeve (Black has a more practical view on the matter). Or that one time in the nineties when Cone questioned Black's selections for the All-Star Game, to which the latter responded with a, 'Tell Tim that he can go take a hike' quote that became a hit tabloid headline the following day.
But over the years, the hostility was replaced by mutual respect, as the two got to know each other and realized they had a lot more in common that they realized (they were the same age, born just a month apart, and they played in the same league in college, although Cone spent his varsity years in Team B).
"Early on, we weren't really friends, but we've always been friendly," Black said. "We don't hang out or sit down for dinner or anything like that, but there's always a certain warmth there."
According to Black, the friendship blossomed over the past six years when he and Cone kept bumping into each other while on their yearly scouting trips for imports, either at the NBA Summer League or the G-League Showcase.
Since they're often the only two from the Philippines in the stands, Black said he and Cone ended up sitting next to each other and sharing stories.
It grew from there.
But as far as the coaching rivalry is concerned, nothing's changed. Black has 11 PBA championships and a grand slam to his name, but nothing would please him more than a playoff series won against a team coached by Cone, who, by the way, has more PBA titles (an all-time record 21) and grand slams (two).
"You know, I kinda admire Tim, Yeng (Guiao) and even coach Leo (Austria)," Black said. "They've been around for a long time and that only shows that they're good at what they do and they've been doing it consistently."
But having said that, "I still want to beat them," Black said.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
