BARANGAY Ginebra coach Tim Cone got caught in the horrible Friday-payday traffic of Metro Manila and arrived just in time for the start of the Kings’ match against Columbian in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Cone said he didn’t make it to the team’s call time as he traveled for nearly four hours from his home in Alabang to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Fortunately for Cone, the first game between Phoenix Pulse and Blackwater went into overtime. He arrived at the Big Dome just in time for tip-off- the first time in his 30-year coaching career that he wasn’t able to give a pep talk before a game.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t get to the game until right at the buzzer-beater of the first game,” said Cone, referring to the game-winning shot Matthew Wright hit for the Fuel Masters.
“I left my house at 3:15 p.m., got here at 7. Three hours, 45 minutes from Alabang,” said Cone.
Cone said it was already heavy traffic by the time he got to the Skyway, forcing him to go to C-5 and Kalayaan Avenue in order to get to EDSA where more traffic awaited him.
“It was a Friday payday, but even then, I didn't think it would be that bad. I thought maybe two hours. It usually takes me an hour and 30, an hour 45 on a bad day,” said the two-time grand slam winner.
Cone credited top assistant coach Richard Del Rosario for getting the players prepared for the game which Ginebra won, 113-90.
“Richard should be the one to sit here,” said Cone during the postgame press conference. “Richard was the one who prepared the game. He got them into the pre-game talk and all the preparations, really the credit goes out to him. I just happened to be able to walk on the court as the game began.
“Someone else had to do it. But maybe I should miss more of them. If we're gonna win by 23 points, I should miss more pregame talks,” said Cone smiling.
Will Cone get penalized for being late for the game?
“Pizza and cheese steaks. It’s a big fine,” said Cone in jest.
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