Cone’s thrill and honor

Now that the PBA Governors’ Cup trophy is safely tucked in Barangay Ginebra’s possession, coach Tim Cone opened up about what happened in the title series that ended in Game 6 at the MOA Arena last Friday.

First, he talked about starting Japeth Aguilar in the clincher after he sat out six games in the playoffs with a calf strain. “We decided to go zone to give Meralco a little shock with Justin (Brownlee) at the top,” said Cone. “It was a last second decision but didn’t work out. Japeth got tired in a hurry, we had to manage his minutes. It was a big sacrifice for him to play, he didn’t have to, we were OK if he didn’t play but he wanted to and he made a big impact that led to the championship.” Aguilar saw action in the last three games of the finals, allowing Cone to extend his rotation and that was critical.

Second, Cone said it was a team responsibility to get Brownlee free in the second half after scoring only two points in the first. In the locker room at halftime, Cone spoke about the team’s responsibility to liberate Brownlee. “Meralco did a good job of defending Justin, doubling him whenever he had the ball or when he posted up or fully denying him,” said Cone. “He couldn’t get open by himself so we worked out things in the second half, things like corner out. Justin’s like Bobby Parks. You fool him a little but eventually, he’ll figure it out.” In the third quarter, Brownlee exploded for 17 points and finished with 24.

Third, Cone said he didn’t want a Game 7 at the Philippine Arena. “I realize it would’ve been big for the PBA, for media, for the fans,” he said. “I guess everyone wanted a Game 7 except us. In a Game 7, it’s 50-50 and we didn’t want to play a 50-50 game. We didn’t want the long drive to Bulacan.”

Fourth, Cone said while it was Ginebra’s fourth win over Meralco in a Governors’ Cup finals, it’s not getting easier. “They’re a different team from what they were in 2016,” he said. “Chris Newsome has gotten better, Aaron Black was out of this world and Tony Bishop was different from Allen Durham. It’s gotten harder for us to win. But we’re different, too. Scottie (Thompson) is our lead ballhandler now so he gets more opportunities to show his game. Jeff (Chan) stepped up and Christian Standhardinger is such a dynamic player, selfless and sacrifices himself on defense.”

Fifth, the journey to the throne was extremely special. “We went through a lot of adversity with Stanley (Pringle) gone and Japeth out for most of the playoffs,” he said. “We were the sixth seed and had to beat TNT twice in the quarterfinals. Coach Chot (Reyes) knows me like the back of his hand but we had some breaks. They changed imports and we had four days to prepare for the quarters instead of just one. Then we had to beat NLEX and finally, Meralco.”

Lastly, Cone said if not for the fans, Ginebra wouldn’t have survived losing four games in a row during the elims. “If we were in the bubble without fans, I don’t think we would’ve made it to the playoffs,” he said. “The fans pushed us through. I’ve been on the other side for 25 to 26 years coaching against Ginebra so I know what it’s like. Now that I’m with Ginebra, I can appreciate the impact of the fans in every game and it’s an advantage. It’s a thrill and honor to coach Ginebra, to follow the Big J’s legacy.”