Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone approached Beau Belga right after their 2021 Honda PBA Philippine Cup encounter with Rain or Shine, Wednesday.
According to the 23-time champion mentor, he went to the veteran big man to simply apologize for the spat they got into during the third quarter.
“I just apologized to him for what I said earlier,” he shared moments after the Gin Kings’ 83-77 victory at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
The two got into a heated argument with 6:14 remaining in the said period after Belga fouled Christian Standhardinger. Cone did not bare what he said in particular, though he admitted he got infuriated by the extra motion.
Belga still tried to smother Standhardinger’s shot even after the whistle, much to the disappointment of the 63-year-old bench tactician. The 6-foot-6 center was then assessed with a technical foul for second motion.
Photo by PBA Images
“I just got mad at him for giving the second motion to Christian,” explained Cone, whose own guard LA Tenorio was the one who helped pacify Belga, his former teammate in Gilas Pilipinas a few years ago.
But then, Cone said that he regrets what he had done, thus his apology to the 34-year-old right after the match. And the latter was quick to accept such, as he acknowledged the coach with a dap and a pat on the back.
“Beau just got his second motion on Christian and I said something to him and he took offense–which he should. And then after, I went over to apologize. I said I shouldn’t be doing that,” he said.
“The opposing coach shouldn’t be saying stuff like that,” he added.
“That’s not me, I shouldn’t be doing that. So I just apologized to him.”
Cone then went on to share that he and Belga go along just fine and that he appreciates the way the burly slotman plays the game.
“Beau and I have a good relationship,” the two-time Grand Slam winner said. “And no one plays a smarter game, I think, in my last thirty years of coaching — I think Beau might be the smartest player.
“I have to give maybe a little bit of an edge to Bong Hawkins, but Bong and Beau are the two smartest players that I’ve ever seen play in the PBA just in terms of pure intelligence. And I appreciate Beau’s game.”
