Cone—despite his many successes—doesn’t see the need to motivate himself entering another Finals, and Black wants to write different ending to this Govs’ Cup rivalry

Scottie Thompson (No. 6) will continue to be the weapon at both ends for teachers and coaches Tim Cone (left photo). —Photo taken from PBA IMAGES

Pandemic restrictions have been eased. Fans have finally returned to the sports arena. And ending up in the PBA, Barangay Ginebra and Meralco battle for the title of Governor’s Cup.

Everything seems to have returned to normal. Most people find that to be the case, except, perhaps, for Tim Cone.

“I don’t think it’s normal to win a championship,” he told a pair of reporters with a smile during the best-of-seven series premiere Monday afternoon at Novotel in Cubao.

“There is always a degree [ecstacy] means winning a championship. Thrills, stomachaches, sleepless nights – it all comes down to the Finals and championship wins. And that never goes away,” he continued.

Gin Kings is trying to claim the title of success and is hoping to retain the Meralco Bolts mastery in the series that begins Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And Cone, already the winning coach of the tournament with nearly a thousand wins, is hungry for another coach.

“I don’t understand why people say ‘Oh you’ve won so much, why would you want to keep winning?'” he said. “Everybody wants to win in life.”

“I would never be unmotivated for this,” he added. “I was never going to be super into this and I tell you, I still had stomach cramps and sleepless nights throughout this series. That was never a normal thing for me.”

TIM CONE
Coach Barangay Ginebra

Ginebra – to no one’s surprise – was added to the favorites once again thanks to the spectacular performances of the Conference Player of the Year No. 1 Scottie Thompson and the tireless play of Justin Brownlee, who is echoing Cone’s prospects.

“Basically, what he said was self-explanatory – that victory never gets old,” the immigrant said. “I guess you want to get used to it, but you also want to work harder and harder for it. And I guess that’s just everyday thinking.

“It is never about the end. It’s about creating new heights. You get to that peak, you want to get to a new peak,” he added.

The Kings are hoping to stay on as overlord of the Bolts and hold onto their spot as the conference’s biggest prizewinner with the help of Christian Standhardinger, who, on the playoffs front, is also well-matched for the tournaments. King.

But Meralco is shaping up to be a lot to be reckoned with, as the Bolts are looking to present some new faces for the fourth installment of their rivalry.

Chris Banchero and Panamanian celebrity Tony Bishop Jr are hoping to change this unilateral situation, something coach Norman Black believes can be done.

“I always thought I could win,” he said. “I always thought my team could win whenever we stepped on the pitch. That was our attitude going into the first game, really the whole series. ”

And for the fourth time in five seasons, Cone will get in Black’s way. INQ

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