After TNT's Governors' Cup conquest of Ginebra, Chot Reyes one-upped Tim Cone in their PBA Finals head-to-head with four series wins.
In the battle between two legendary coaches in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup Finals, the one in blue finally prevailed last November 8 inside the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With TNT's 4-2 victory over Ginebra, Chot Reyes took the lead against friend and mentor Tim Cone in their head-to-head matchups in the PBA Finals.
While Cone has won the most PBA titles in history with 25, Reyes beat him four times in seven meetings with a PBA championship on the line.
But those are numbers that don’t matter to Reyes, who also scored his 10th PBA title as head coach.
“That means very little to me. Like I said, for me coaching this team is not about me but it’s about we. It’s about the entire team, it’s about the collective,” said Reyes shortly after beating Ginebra in Game 6, 95-85, at the Big Dome.
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It's impressive to take away four titles from coach Tim, but Reyes played down the Finals tally against Cone.
After all, every shot he got at Cone in a PBA Finals setting was a tremendous challenge that only helped him get better as a tactician.
“My personal record with coach Tim is what it is. I’m sure the next time if we get back to this situation, it’s going to be another challenge. It really doesn’t enter my mind,” he said.
Indeed, it was a chess match between two great basketball minds.
Reyes’ Tropang Giga raced off to a 2-0 start to the best-of-seven finale. But just when fans thought this would be a breezy conquest, the Gin Kings came out swinging and took Games 3 and 4.
But in the end, TNT turned to its superb defense — the one that got them to the top of Group A in the elimination round — to vanquish the hard-fighting Ginebra.
And that’s the only thing that matters to Reyes.
“Whether I’m 3-4 down or 4-3 up, for me the important thing is the team won. It’s not about me, it’s only about we,” he said.
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Chot Reyes vs. Tim Cone in the PBA Finals:
- 1994 Commissioner’s Cup — Purefoods (Reyes) def. Alaska (Cone), 4-1
- 1996 All-Filipino Cup — Alaska (Cone) def. Purefoods (Reyes), 4-1
- 2002 All-Filipino Cup — Coca-Cola (Reyes) def. Alaska (Cone), 3-1
- 2003 Invitational Cup — Alaska (Cone) def. Coca-Cola (Reyes), 2-1
- 2009 Philippine Cup — Talk ’N Text (Reyes) def. Alaska (Cone), 4-3
- 2012 Commissioner’s Cup — B-Meg (Cone) def. Talk ’N Text (Reyes), 4-3
- Season 49 Governors’ Cup — TNT (Reyes) def. Ginebra (Cone), 4-2