Championships follow wherever Tim Cone goes.
“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”
Not to burst Benjamin Franklin’s bubble, but Tim Cone winning championships is also absolute.
Last Sunday’s Game 7 masterpiece to claim the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title against the Bay Area Dragons is another proof of Cone’s genius. And although his term with the Gin Kings has yet to end, some are arguing “Ginebra Tim Cone” is better than his stints with the Alaska and Purefoods franchises.
Allow the debates to remain in comment sections though, and let the numbers do the arguing.
Sweet time with Alaska
The Alaska organization had no PBA titles when then rookie coach Cone was handed the reins in 1989. It only took Cone two years to win his very first PBA championship.
The triangle-offense savant then pushed Alaska to legendary status with the 1996 Grand Slam.
Cone and the Milkmen would have probably secured a second Slam in 1998, but Alaska went the honorable route in sacrificing for the Philippine Centennial Team.
Cone finished his term with the Alaska franchise in 2011 with 13 titles.
Right mix with San Mig Coffee
After a surprising exit out of Alaska, which Cone served for more than two decades, Cone signed with the Purefoods franchise.
To no one’s surprise, he led B-Meg to a title in his second conference with the team in the 37th Season’s Commissioner’s Cup. Another trophy followed a year after in the Governors’ Cup of the 38th Season.
All those came before the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers’ famed 2013-14 Grand Slam, where Cone made history as the only coach to win two Slams with different franchises.
The American coach would eventually exit Purefoods with five titles.
Breaking Ginebra’s curse and more
Cone had one mission when he was appointed as Barangay Ginebra head coach in 2015 — and that is to break the eight-year title drought.
Just one year later in his Gin Kings tenure, Cone with the help of Justin Brownlee ended Ginebra’s “kangkong years” in the 2016 Governors’ Cup.
Fast forward to seven more years and that Cone-Brownlee tandem remains unblemished in six PBA Finals. The winningest PBA coach himself has seven titles with the crowd favorite team and it looks like he is not done winning some more hardware.