MANILA, Philippines - Alaska coach Tim Cone said yesterday sweeping Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals was a feat but the Aces are in no party mood to break open the bubbly as they expect a tough series against either Purefoods or San Miguel Beer in the PBA Philippine Cup finals.
Cone, 52, is the longest-tenured active coach in the league and knows only too well a premature celebration could lead to complacency. He started coaching Alaska in 1989 and has so far bagged 12 championships, four of the All-Filipino variety. In all, Cone has brought the Aces to 22 finals, including this conference.
In the previous Philippine Cup, Cone was a whiff away from claiming the crown. Alaska flubbed four free throws and a layup in the last 28 seconds as Talk ‘N’ Text held on to win, 93-89, in Game 7 of the Last Dance.
Now, Alaska is back in the finals and will attempt to win its first All-Filipino trophy in 10 years.
“I still don’t know how we managed to sustain our excellence in four straight games against Ginebra,” said Cone. “In the finals, matching up with either San Miguel or Purefoods will be very different from Ginebra which plays three guards. San Miguel and Purefoods have size and we’re not able to easily overpower them with our big lineup.”
Cone said this year’s squad reminds him of the legendary Alaska team that won a Grand Slam in 1996.
Cone said finishing the semifinals early has its pitfalls. “We don’t believe in long rests because that can lead to losing your sharpness,” he said. “We’ll work our guys to the bone at practice every day. I hope we’re tired entering the finals because that means we’ll be sharp.”
Cone admitted not knowing how to match up with San Miguel or Purefoods at the moment.
“I didn’t watch a single game in the other series while we were playing Ginebra because I didn’t want to lose focus,” he said. “I’ll watch Game 6 on Sunday. Joel (Banal) is breaking down San Miguel while Jojo (Lastimosa) is breaking down Purefoods. Then we’ll meet to put together a game plan for both teams. Purefoods’ frontline is big and deep. They’ve got James Yap and Roger Yap in the backcourt but their guard lineup isn’t as deep as San Miguel’s. Jay Washington who’s big and quick allows Arwind (Santos) to play three. Mike Cortez, who knows our system well, is a key factor off the bench. It will come down to matchups.”
Cone said Alaska’s bench wasn’t as productive as Ginebra’s during the semifinals but that’s not a cause for concern in the finals.
“Our bench wasn’t as productive because we didn’t have a Jay-Jay Helterbrand or a Mark Caguioa coming off the bench,” said Cone. “Our second unit basically comes in to play 16 to 20 minutes and our starters, 30 to 32. We want to keep our starters fresh down the stretch. Larry Fonacier hardly played in Game 4 against Ginebra because his knee was banged up but if he’s not hurt, he’s very productive for us. Rey (Hugnatan), Mark (Borboran), Jeffrey (Cariaso), Brandon (Cablay) and John (Ferriols) also give us quality minutes. Brandon was once a finals MVP and he’s just getting back his timing and confidence after recovering from injuries. He defended Jay-Jay and hit some clutch baskets in Game 4. John is another player who’s very productive on the court.”
As for his starters, Cone said he couldn’t ask for more.
“Willie (Miller) didn’t score much in the Ginebra series but he played very well and very hard,” said Cone. “Willie didn’t force his shots and worked within our system. He could’ve gotten his 20 to 24 points a game but that wouldn’t have helped us. Willie also took away (Ronald) Tubid’s offense which Ginebra badly missed. That’s because Tubid worked so hard to defend Willie. Tony (de la Cruz) is our best defender and schemer. He’s neither athletic nor quick but he’s got good hands and he’s very smart. His job on J. C. Intal was outstanding. Against Purefoods, we probably won’t match Tony up with James because that means Willie will defend a big man at three, maybe Kerby Raymundo or Marc Pingris. We’re still not sure if Tony will defend Arwind if it’s San Miguel because we might need a taller guy. Arwind just shoots over defenders who are shorter. I call L.A. (Tenorio) our Big Shot guy. He understands the triangle and it’s up to him how to play the options that open up for him. His personality is like Johnny Abarrientos’ although they’re different in many ways. L.A. likes to shoot the floater while Johnny’s pull-up is unstoppable. They’re both leaders, they don’t panic under pressure and never lose their composure. Sonny (Thoss) and Joe (DeVance) are playing at another level now and they’re delivering. We’ll study our matchup options and decide what to do when we know who the other finalist is.”
Cone said Banal’s familiarity with the zone defense has given Alaska another alternative.
“I’ve never liked the zone but because of Joel, I don’t fear it anymore,” said Cone. “We’re essentially a man-to-man defensive team but it may look like we’re playing zone sometimes because we collapse on the penetrators. I’m comfortable with the zone now. Joel has reenergized me with his ideas.”
As for Samigue Eman’s arrival, Cone said he won’t compete with Thoss for minutes. “A lot of teams looked at Sam and we’re proud that he chose to play for our organization,” said Cone. “With Sam, we can do like the L.A. Lakers. Sonny, Sam and Joe can be like Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Sam would be a big help in the finals but too bad, he can only start playing with us next conference.”