By TITO TALAO
It can perhaps be described as a day in the life of two PBA coaches—borrowing freely from the Fab Four.
Though their circumstances differed, they shared a striking convergence of events and results. Both moments unfolded Wednesday night at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
First came Pat Aquino, coach of the Blackwater Bossing, who walked into the press room after the PBA Commissioner’s Cup curtain-raiser breathless with excitement. He had just secured the first win of his young professional coaching career after two earlier losses. He hugged everyone within reach and hungrily gulped down a bottle of water before declaring, “Ang hirap manalo dito sa PBA!”
A few hours later, Dennis “Delta” Pineda, mentor of the Converge FiberXers, waltzed in with assistant Franco Atienza. Checking the stat sheet at the door, he muttered even before reaching the interview table, “Akala ko, di na ’ko makakapunta rito e!”
Both likely entered their games hoping for the best but bracing for the worst—and who could blame them?
Blackwater and Aquino, who inherited a 1–4 squad from Jeff Cariaso and absorbed two more losses, were up against powerhouse San Miguel Beer and its multi-titled coach Leo Austria, owner of 10 championships. Meanwhile, Converge, coming off a loss to Magnolia, were to face TNT Tropang 5G and its imposing 7-foot-3 rim protector, Bol Manute Bol.
With the weight of their situations bearing down on them, both coaches emphasized urgency, coaxing their players to leave everything on the floor in a desperate fight for survival.
“That’s what we told the boys—don’t stop playing. Just continue to play the game. I think they did everything we needed to win. I’m proud of them,” said Aquino after Blackwater, despite blowing a 22-point lead, outgunned SMB, 126–120.
Pineda, meanwhile, was even more direct.
“There was nothing to lose for us. We need to fight, fight, fight—believe that we can win this game,” he said after the FiberXers stunned Tropang 5G, 97–92, and neutralized Bol before a shocked crowd.
Those defining wins over top-tier opponents breathed life into the playoff hopes of both Blackwater and Converge. But with only a few games left, the question remains: will they stay afloat, or will they need life support once more?
Aquino and Blackwater face Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Tim Cone tonight—along with Justin Brownlee—while Converge braces for a tough Sunday clash against the dangerous Phoenix Fuel Masters (5–3), winners of their last two games.
The postgame Q&A awaits Aquino and Pineda—if they can slam the door on Cone and Charles Tiu.
