Chess match expected

TWO of the pro league’s most decorated and brilliant coaches—Chot Reyes of defending champion TNT and Ginebra’s Tim Cone—battle anew on the sidelines in the finals of the season-opening tourney.

Cone is simply elated that he has another chance to take on his good pal Reyes in the best-of-7 titular showdown for the PBA Governors’ Cup title.

“We are really just happy that we are back in and going to pit (wits) against my good friend coach Chot again,” Cone said. “There’s always been that rivalry between Ginebra and Talk ‘N Text.

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“Looking forward to mixing it up with my buddy,” he added.

The two tacticians had squared off in the Big Dance six times previously, but it will be the first time in this conference since the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup where Cone, then calling the shots for B-Meg (now Magnolia), got one over Reyes in a classic seven-game duel.

Reyes served as Cone’s deputy at the defunct Alaska franchise in the 1990s before they carved out different paths as champion strategists with 25 and nine crowns, respectively. They are 3-3 in their head-to-head battle in the championship round.

It will actually be the first time that Cone will go up against Reyes in the finals at the helm of the Kings.

TNT and Ginebra clashed in last year’s Governors’ Cup finals, but Jojo Lastimosa was the coach at that time, with Reyes focusing on his job as Gilas Pilipinas mentor.

Cone was Reyes’ chief assistant with the Nationals in last year’s FIBA World Cup.

The Kings sent the San Miguel Beermen packing via a nail-biting 102-99 victory in Game 6 of their semifinals duel last Sunday to forge a rematch with the Tropang Giga.

TNT took a seemingly easier road back to the finals after it rolled past Rain or Shine in the semis in just five tiffs.

Game 1 of the race-to-4 title series is set this Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

“Talk ‘N Text is a greatly coached team with coach Chot. I know he knows me. I know him. We just got through working with the Gilas team together,” Cone said. “So, I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of secrets about what we do or how we are going to play.”

Cone said their sights were trained on getting past SMB in the Last Four, determined not to fall like they did against Meralco in the last Philippine Cup.

“Last time we were in the semis, we led 3-2, and then we let Game 6 slip away from us and then, we lost in Game 7, and they (Meralco) went on to win the championship,” he said.

“No doubt that was on our minds coming into this Game 6. We certainly didn’t want to play a Game 7 against a team like San Miguel.”

Great coaches who happen to be good friends will certainly bring out the best in each other in the finals.

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