It is strictly business for the two tacticians, who happen to be close friends.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone is not about the get caught up in all the friend vs friend, mentor vs mentee talk surrounding his finals matchup against close pal Jojo Lastimosa of the TNT Tropang Giga.
For the PBA’s winningest tactician, it is strictly business.
“On one side, it’s bittersweet [going up against Lastimosa]. On the other side, we don’t look across the court and see who we’re coaching against.”
In this case, Cone is coaching against a man he is intimately familiar with in Lastimosa, with whom he won multiple championships with the Alaska franchise. In fact, a bunch of those titles were the handiwork of the artist once known as The Fourth Quarter Man, who routinely took over for the Milkmen back in the day in the final frame when games were on the line.
It is no surprise then that Jolas and Cone have become close. That friendship, though, is not getting in the way of Cone and Lastimosa doing their jobs.
“Like I said in the press conference, it’s our job—both of us—to win, to get our guys prepared and ready to play, to compete . . . ,” added Cone.
The two-time Grand Slam winner also emphasized that the players—and not necessarily him and Lastimosa—are competing against each other in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup finals.
“We’re not really competing against each other at all. The players are competing, and we’re just trying to get our guys to compete,” Cone said. “Again, I think we’re making kinda a big ado about me and Jo, and it’s just the fact that me and Jo are close, that doesn’t separate us from doing our jobs here in the series.”
Even so, do not think for a second that Cone will take it easy on his pal.
“While he’s on the other side of the court, he’s our enemy.”