Longtime rivals Chot Reyes and Tim Cone will meet in the PBA Finals for the eighth time as TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clash for the Commissioner’s Cup crown.
Reyes currently holds the edge in their head-to-head finals record, with TNT’s 4-2 victory over Ginebra in the Season 49 Governors’ Cup last November tipping the scales in his favor. According to PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon, the two coaches have alternated championship wins in their past meetings.
Reyes secured titles in the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup (Purefoods), 2002 All-Filipino Cup (Coca-Cola), 2009 Philippine Cup (TNT), and their latest Governors’ Cup showdown. Meanwhile, Cone triumphed in the 1996 All-Filipino Conference (Alaska), 2003 Invitational (Alaska), and 2012 Commissioner’s Cup (B-Meg, now Magnolia).
Given their deep familiarity with each other’s coaching styles, both mentors believe the series will ultimately be decided by the players’ execution on the floor.
“We’ve been at each other for quite a while. We’ve coached against each other, we’ve coached with each other. Obviously, the familiarity is there,” said Cone, who had Reyes as an assistant during their Alaska days before later serving under him with Gilas Pilipinas.
“He knows me inside and out, and it’s just going to come down to execution. You can know whatever you want to know, but if the team executes well, you can still battle through that. So that’s what it’s going to come down to for us—just our execution.”
Reyes echoed Cone’s sentiment.
“I agree with what Tim said, but more than the familiarity and more than the two of us as coaches, it’s really the players who are going to decide the series,” he said.
“We could make our adjustments here and there, but after a while, it’s really going to come down to who’s able to get it done on the floor. So whether we’re familiar or not, I think the deciding factor is really what’s going to happen on the court.”
With two of the league’s best coaches making their moves, the players’ ability to execute under pressure will be the key to this championship battle.
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