Forget friendship, it’s war in finals

If familiarity breeds contempt, it may be evident when offcourt buddies Alaska’s Tim Cone and Coca-Cola’s Chot Reyes match wits in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Selecta All-Filipino Cup Finals starting tonight at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Reyes used to be Cone’s assistant at Alaska. Then they were reunited–once more with Cone as head coach and Reyes as assistant–when the Philippine team, known as the Centennials, took the bronze at the 13th Asian Games in Bangkok four years ago.

Their wives are business partners in a Makati beauty salon. And they share a mutual respect for each other. Besides, Reyes’ younger brother Jun is one of Cone’s assistants at Alaska.

But in the PBA, there’s no such thing as friendship on the court. There’s a war to be won and only one champion will be crowned.

Cone, 45, and Reyes, 39, know what it’s like to slug it out in the Finals. They’ve been there before. Cone is gunning for his 11th title in 18 Finals as Alaska coach. Reyes is shooting for his third crown.

In the 1996 All-Filipino Cup Finals, Cone and Reyes–then coaching Purefoods–squared off. Alaska won in five games with four players Johnny Abarrientos, Jeffrey Cariaso, Poch Juinio and Cris Bolado now in the Coca-Cola lineup.

Cone called Reyes the PBA’s most underrated coach in an interview yesterday. He said the Tigers are slightly favored in the Finals if Cariaso, hobbled by a groin injury, is 100 percent healthy. If Cariaso isn’t, Cone said the odds are even.

Told of Cone’s assessment, Reyes laughed it off. "Just like Tim to downplay his chances," he said. "I don’t think anyone will agree with him being the underdog in this series. It’s going to be the most underrated versus the best rated."

Cone said he’s not surprised that Reyes is downplaying his own chances because of the Tigers’ lack of size. "Chot’s been using the Goliath angle all conference so he shouldn’t quit now," he chuckled. "He’s coming across as the little guy on the block fighting the bullies."

Reyes said with his years caddying for Cone, he knows the Alaska coach better than Cone knows him. "That could be an advantage," he mused. "With Tim, he keeps you on our toes. You know he always shows up well-prepared and that’s why you’ve got to be as well-prepared or more. He challenges you to be innovative and creative. As his assistant for many years, I think I’ve learned how he coaches much more than he knows how I coach."

So it may not be a friendly Finals after all.

Cone said he’s "tickled pink" that Reyes is back in the Finals. "He always gets the most out of his players–that’s what he did when he coached at Ateneo, Burger Machine, in the MBA and the PBA," continued Cone. "Both our teams making it to the Finals is a justification of that controversial trade that sent Ali (Peek) and JO (Jon Ordonio) to us and Edward (Juinio) and Johnny to them. Management wasn’t pleased at first with the trade. But it’s worked out well for both sides."

Cone pointed to the Aces’ size as their big advantage and inexperience as their big disadvantage. "We’re a well-rounded team with good perimeter shooters and size in the backcourt," he explained. "We’ve got players who can dominate the boards from different spots. While we’re big, we’re not that quick. We’re still young. Sometimes, we break apart easily and when we struggle, we take a step back. But we’re maturing. We’re beginning to learn how to get the lead and recover if we lose it. For Ali and JO, it’s their first Finals. For Rob (Duat) and E. J. (Feihl), this is big because they’ve just come in from trades. We’ve got a new group, a new nucleus. I was under fire a while for making changes. Now, we’re slowly getting back to form."

Cone said unlike the Aces, the Tigers know how to respond to adversity. "They’ve been there before–Edward, Johnny, and Jeffrey," he went on. "They know how to get a win in Game 1 of the Finals, how to get ready for the next game. They’ve got veterans and leaders like Freddie (Abuda). It’s our size versus their quickness–the best big team versus the best small team. We’ll try to contain their guards and they’ll try to contain our big men."

Cone said he expects a physical series. "I don’t mean dirty," he qualified. "Rudy (Hatfield), for instance, works hard off the boards and Freddie plays physical defense. (Ato) Morano is physical, too. It’s not pushing, shoving or elbowing. It’s playing hard."

Cone singled out Don Carlos Allado as the Aces’ X-factor and Kenneth Duremdes as their leader. "Don’s like Edward when he used to play for Alaska," he said. "Whenever Edward had a big game, we’d almost always win.

I think Don’s a key in this series. Of course, there’s Kenneth. He dominates the game when he’s on the floor even if he’s not scoring. Last Sunday, he hit 28 points in the second half–that was special, he was on fire. But when we beat Talk ‘N’ Text in the quarterfinals, he only shot seven points but we won by 19 with six guys in double figures. Even if he’s not scoring, Kenneth dominates with his presence and leadership."

Another player Cone credited for giving the Aces a lift is Ordonio. "JO can change the game with his defense," he said. "He’s like Johnny in that both sacrifice a lot and like to be with the fans. Of course, JO doesn’t have Johnny’s offensive skills but he’s an awesome defender."

Reyes said the lack of a legitimate point guard is a problem for Alaska. Cone, however, isn’t worried about it.

"That’s like a broken record," said Cone. "I’ve heard it from management, the press, and the fans. Remember we run the triangle which is predicated on movement. We don’t need a point guard calling the play. In the triangle, we read the options as we move and the play is initiated in the wing which isn’t where the point guard is. Johnny himself isn’t a pure point guard although I think he’s the best point guard ever to play in the PBA. He’s got a lot of offguard skills, too."

Reyes said bringing the Tigers to the Finals is like a dream come true. "It’s a different feeling being back in the Finals because it’s been a while," he said. "When I won my first title, I coached an established team, Purefoods. This time, we’ve got a new team, far from established. I remember when RFM took me in, I told Mr. (Joey) Concepcion I had a three-year program. When I took the team over, we were the slowest team with Nelson (Asaytono), Noli (Locsin) and Ali, and last in offense. Now, we’re No. 1 in offense and No. 1 in fastbreak points. It’s been a complete transformation."

Reyes paid tribute to Coca-Cola management for its all-out support. "You can’t ask anything more from management–from our president Mr. (Genju) Lapez to attorney (Jing) Macias to Mr. JB (Baylon) and Mr. (Nolet) Puno," said Reyes. "They gave us a free rein. We submitted our short and mid-term plans and they agreed. Mr. Lapez told us the team has become a rallying point to unite our group which is expanding with more product lines and employees. That’s why a basketball team is a welcome event for the company and next year, there are plans to hold clinics for kids all over the country with our players giving back to the fans."

As for Cariaso, Reyes said he’s day-to-day. "We won’t know if he’ll play until the day itself," he sighed. "His injury–a pulled abductor muscle in the groin–is healed only with complete rest. He’ll find out if he can play during the warmups of every game. A 50 to 60 percent Jeffrey is still better than no Jeffrey at all."

Reyes brushed aside talk that Coca-Cola’s former Alaska players are out for payback. "We were in the dugout after beating San Miguel when we all realized we’d be playing Alaska–to some, their former team," said Reyes. "There’s no bitterness, no grudge. It’s not in our minds. We consider it a blessing that with the trades, both our teams are back in the Finals."

Reyes said rebounding, outside shooting and personnel–where you consider the health situation–are the critical factors in the series.

"To win, we’ve got to limit their outside shooting," continued Reyes.

"We’ll play man-to-man all the way. We can’t afford to play zone because it’ll be more difficult for us to rebound since our guys won’t have a specific player to box out. As it is, we’re giving up size to Alaska. We’ll pressure and we’ll try to obstruct the vision of Alaska’s passers. If we zone and they get hot from the outside, Alaska is unbeatable."

Reyes said he’s more comfortable playing in a best-of-5 series against Alaska than a best-of-7. "We’ll use quickness to offset their size advantage so the longer the series, the more tired we’ll get," he noted. "I don’t think we could beat San Miguel in a best-of-5 but we got lucky in a best-of-3."

One thing Reyes said is going for the Tigers is their superb conditioning. "It’s become an obsession with us," added Reyes. "We’ve got track coach Darri DeRosa and Dennis Aenlle taking care of our strength and conditioning. We work so hard at practice than when the game starts, I let the players go. I hardly get off the bench anymore and I get upset only when I see a lack of effort or focus. The coaching staff with Binky (Favis), Biboy (Ravanes) and Aboy (Castro) does a solid job scouting and preparing for a game and that’s another plus."

Survival of the fittest might just be the theme of the Finals.