Friday’s traffic madness always affects plenty of motorists. Ginebra head coach Tim Cone included, apparently.
Cone was unable to give his team a pep talk prior to its 7:00 p.m. match versus Columbian. The veteran coach had arrived late at the SMART Araneta Coliseum after remaining stuck in traffic for nearly four hours.
That was the first time in his 30 years of coaching that he had missed a pre-game talk, according to the Grand Slam-winning mentor.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t get to the game until right at the buzzer-beater of the first game,” said Cone, referring to the Phoenix-Blackwater game that went overtime.
“I left the house at 3:15, I got here at seven,” the decorated bench strategist continued jokingly.
“Three hours and forty-five minutes from Alabang is an amazing, amazing journey.”
Cone then credited lead assistant coach Richard Del Rosario for preparing his Gin Kings for the match.
“Richard was the one who prepared the team. He got them on a pre-game talk and all the preparations. So really, credit goes out to him getting these guys tonight,” he said.
Fortunately for Cone, though, his lateness was the only problem of the night. The crowd darlings took care of business and dismantled CJ Perez and the Dyip by 23 points, 113-90.
The win meant plenty for Ginebra, since it enabled the team to secure a twice-to-beat edge for the quarterfinals.
“It all turned alright,” he said.
“Maybe I should miss more of them. If we’re gonna win by twenty-three points, I should miss more pregame talks.”
