By TITO TALAO
As often as they have faced each other in championships, and as familiar as they are with each other’s coaching tendencies, TNT Tropang 5G head coach Chot Reyes believes there are still a few secrets and surprises that could emerge when he renews his rivalry with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel mentor Tim Cone in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The best-of-seven championship series opens with Game 1 on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Armed with two Grand Slams — with Alaska in 1996 and San Mig Super Coffee in 2014 — Cone remains the PBA’s most decorated coach with 25 championships. Reyes, meanwhile, owns 11 titles, tied with Norman Black for second all-time.
In their head-to-head Finals matchups, however, Reyes holds a 5-3 edge over Cone. The statistic was brought up by event host Quinito Henson during Monday’s PBA Finals press conference at Novotel, prompting Reyes to joke,
“Thanks for giving coach Tim an incentive to beat me this conference.”
Their rivalry spans more than three decades. Reyes, then coaching Purefoods, first got the better of Cone and Alaska in the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, winning the series 4-1.
After moving to Coca-Cola, Reyes again defeated Cone in the 2002 All-Filipino Cup Finals, 3-1. He followed that with a 4-3 triumph as TNT coach in the 2011 Philippine Cup Finals and a 4-2 victory in the 2024 Governors’ Cup Finals against Cone’s Barangay Ginebra squad.
Their most recent championship encounter came in the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Finals, a grueling seven-game series that TNT clinched with an 87-83 overtime victory in the deciding game.
Cone, meanwhile, guided Alaska to victories over Reyes-coached teams in the 1996 All-Filipino Cup Finals (4-1) and the 2003 Invitational Cup Finals (2-1). He later took over B-Meg and edged TNT, 4-3, in the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
Neither coach appears to hold a clear advantage entering this series, particularly after TNT lost 7-foot-3 center Bol Manute Bol to a partially torn left Achilles tendon in Game 2 of its semifinals against the Meralco Bolts.
Still, Reyes believes TNT can draw strength from something less tangible than personnel advantages.
After all, there are few secrets left between him and Cone after years of battling for championships.
“I’m sure we’re both proud of our ability to continuously evolve,” Reyes said. “So palaging may konting nasa bulsa pa rin.”
Reyes acknowledges nonetheless that any strategic surprise can only remain hidden for so long.
“Sa series kasi sandali lang ‘yon (the secrecy). Malalaman din naman, at magagawan ng paraan,” he said. “Pero minsan, pabilisan na lang ng adjustment.”
Asked whether second-guessing still plays a role despite their familiarity with one another, Reyes said it remains a significant factor.
“Oo naman. There’s still a lot of second-guessing and anticipation ongoing sa ganitong situation. Padalian na lang din ng reaction ‘yan,” he said.
