Seven games in 13 days
Living legend coach Tim Cone has been part of a number of epic playoff series and a handful of Game Seven’s. But this conference’s semifinal series, that has pitted his Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Star Hotshots, has taken its toll on the 59-year-old mentor.
“This is a tough grind, playing every other day. It’s really a tough grind,” admitted Cone after Ginebra were able to extend the series to sudden death, 91-67, Sunday evening.
“I told my wife last night, ‘I don’t know if I can continue doing this, this every other day. It’s really, really tough.'”
Heading into the series, Ginebra had just come from a grueling series against Alaska that saw them disarm the Aces and their twice-to-beat edge. But the high they felt after eliminating the Aces suddenly went to a drop during the start of the series, and it has been a roller-coaster since.
“It’s like we’re ping-ponging on our energy levels.
“They started off the series with great energy, and we couldn’t match it coming from our Alaska series. Then we were able to pick up our energy in the next couple of games, and then Game Five was a disaster for us in terms of energy for us. We had nothing. We just hit a wall,” the three-time Coach of the Year narrated.
“But we seemed to have the energy today, and what would a Manila Clasico series be without a Game Seven? I guess this is the way it’s meant to be. We’re supposed to play a Game Seven.”
Even after winning Game Six in dominant fashion, the 19-time PBA champion coach, who has been part of numerous battles, believes that his former team have the advantage heading into Game Seven. And it’s because of the energy they spent trying to extend the series.
“Truly, if anybody has an advantage, I think they do.
“I’m not saying this facetiously or to pretend that we’re the underdog, but in my experience, winners of Game Six, it takes so much energy to win that Game Six. And they’re gonna be making the adjustments more than we are, so oftentimes it’s to their advantage,” he furthered.
But still, Cone believes that his players will find that extra gear, that one last push for them to overcome the fatigue, the stress, and the wave of emotions a series like this brings.
“Game Seven is always a players’ game. Always coming down to who wants it more. It sounds trite and cliche, but it’s an absolute truth,” he closed.
“Who wants it more.”
