Coach Tim Cone pulled no punches in the aftermath of Ginebra’s failure to finish off TNT in Game 6 of the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Finals on Sunday night.
The league’s winningest mentor slammed what he referred to as an “old narrative” surrounding the exchange of wins between the long-time rivals, who are headed to another winner-take-all for the conference crown.
“I’m just getting real tired of the idea that when we win, it’s always because we got favored by the referees,” he told reporters shortly after their 98-90 defeat — witnessed live by a total of 22,731 fans — at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“When they win, it’s always about great coaching and great play,” continued the 68-year-old, visibly disappointed. “It’s a narrative that’s getting really old, and it’s starting to bother me a bit. I think it’s unfair.”
Whether or not it was a jab at his good pal in Chot Reyes and the Tropang 5G, it’s yet another cathartic episode from Cone, who called the four-man officiating crew ‘terrible’ on the heels of their Game 2 loss last June 5.
Both the decorated coaches have been critical of the refs in this series, with the lone 7-time Coach of the Year sarcastically grading the umpires’ work as ‘excellent’ in Games 3 and 4 — games that they split.
This time, though, the league’s only 25-time champion bench tactician aired his frustration over what he perceives as a theme in this Finals.
“I coached against Ginebra for 27 years, and it’s just gotten to a point where it’s crazy. It’s referees for us; great coaching, great play for them,” he said.
Cone, however, did not take anything away from TNT. In particular, he tipped his hat to Chris McCullough, who lifted the flagship MVP franchise with a career-high 53 points — 16 of which he produced in the fourth — alongside 22 rebounds.
“But I’ll be the first to admit: McCullough was awesome tonight,” he said, as ‘C-Mac’ also shot an efficient 55.6-percent from the floor to outduel Justin Brownlee, who had 52. “He hit shots. We couldn’t control him all game long.
“We challenged him from the outside and he made the big shots from the outside. The last two shots he made, the three and the four, broke our backs,” he added.
McCullough scored 11 of the Tropa’s last 13 points.
Cone also lamented the lack of support for ‘JB’, especially after two of their stars, Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos, combined for only nine points.
“Scottie and RJ were 2-for-18 from the field today. We’re not gonna see that very often,” he said, as no local on his side breached the double-digit mark.
Despite falling just short of accomplishing their goal of clinching the crown in six, the Barangay are still confident about their chances in Game 7.
“We’re gonna feel good about ourselves going into Game 7. We know we can take this, and we’re gonna go for it,” said Cone.
The do-or-die affair is this Wednesday at what should be a packed Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“But, I mean, I just hope that if we do, they don’t turn around and say it’s about the referees again,” he added as a parting shot before leaving the venue.
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