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TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra are both gunning for the PBA Governors’ Cup title. They also have their own mutual admiration society.
There is plenty at stake in the Season 49 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, which opens on Sunday with Game 1 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Not only is this a rematch of the 2023 Finals – which saw the TNT Tropang Giga prevail in six games over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel – it is also an opportunity for the franchises and the coaches who lead them to make their mark.
Barangay Ginebra’s Tim Cone is the league’s winningest coach, with 25 titles under his belt. A staggering 10 of those have come in the Governors’ Cup, including that which produced the greatest finish of all time: the 2016 edition where Justin Brownlee sank that memorable triple at the buzzer for Barangay Ginebra. Should Ginebra win, Cone would have as many Governors’ Cup titles as Norman Black – third in the all-time list – has total titles.
Also, another title in this Season 49 would nudge the Gin Kings into a tie for first place with the San Miguel franchise for most Governors’ Cup titles won at five each. They are currently in a tie for second with the two other franchises that Cone has coached: Alaska and Purefoods/San Mig Coffee/Magnolia.
Chot Reyes, meanwhile, is tied for fourth all-time with nine titles. A win here would allow him to assume solo fourth and leave Jong Uichico and Leo Austria behind. It would also give him his first-ever Governors’ Cup crown (Jojo Lastimosa is credited with TNT’s 2023 title win).
A successfully title defense would also give TNT a second championship in the Governors’ Cup, which would give it at least two titles in each of the league’s three conferences.
No doubt, much is at stake here. Yet for all the analysis and hot takes given about the competitiveness of this series, the protagonists share a deep mutual respect for each other.
It starts with the coaches, Cone and Reyes, who go back a long, long way and who have both served the other as assistant on the national team. During the finals press conference on a rainy Thursday, each tactician went out of his way to call the other his mentor.
“Let’s not forget Tim was the first national team coach before me, right?” Reyes said. “Way back in Centennial Team (in 1998) and I was his assistant. So I think a lot of people forget that. So he’s really been my mentor throughout our time coaching.
“But in the end, I have developed my own style, he has developed his own style and philosophy. So the Gilas factor, I don’t know if it will be that much of a differentiator in the series. Aside from what you just mentioned, aside from that similarity.
“But other than that, I’m approaching this series as TNT. And I’m sure Tim is approaching the series as Ginebra. After the series, we can all go back to being Gilas or former Gilas.”
Cone immediately returned the compliment.
“I giggle when Chot says I’m his mentor because I’ve learned more from him than he’s learned from me, that’s for sure,” Cone replied. “And I did that in that last tip when I was with him in the World Cup. And I learned a lot, especially about the offensive side. I learned new drills and things that I haven’t had exposure to.
So I think the familiarity will play in the series at some point, just because he knows what I like to do and I’ve learned what he likes to do. So that will definitely play, the fact that we have worked together in the past. Whether it be Gilas or not Gilas, it’s just the idea that we’ve been around and been friends for so long. And I think we’ve spent time studying each other’s game.
“And Chot is really correct in saying that even though we kind of grew up together in basketball, that we were both very, very young when we started back in 1991. But we were both really young back then and so we were kind of growing together as basketball coaches.
“And we took different paths and we have very distinct systems. And they’re kind of like almost polar opposite type systems. So it’s just going to be an interesting contrast. But Chott said it earlier also. It’s not going to come down to me and Chot. It’s going to come down to (imports) Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) and Justin (Brownlee) and the players around them. They’re going to be the ones to decide this series. And that’s how it should be.
“And I’m going to have a lot of fun watching Rondae play. The style of play he plays is really fun to watch. And watching Justin and our system is going to be fun for them. So I just think it’s really a match made in heaven. And I think the fans are going to have a great time watching this series.”
Speaking of the imports, both of them were also very respectful of each other, even though the last time they faced each other on the court was in the gold medal match of the last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games. Brownlee led Gilas to the gold over Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan, and the latter hasn’t forgotten it.
“First, I want to say I’m still not over that loss, Gilas versus Jordan,” RHJ joked. “But on a serious note, I think he’s a phenomenal player. I think he’s an even better person. I’m sure his teammates, his coach, anyone who’s been around him can attest to that.
“I’m a competitor at the end of the day. I look forward to every time we match up against each other. We’re going to give our all. We’re going to work hard. We’re going to make it exciting. Something to look forward to at the end of the day.”
Brownlee will be playing in his sixth Governors’ Cup finals. He is 4-1 overall, with the lone finals loss dealt by RHJ and TNT. And he couldn’t help but equally admire his counterpart.
“He’s tough,” said Brownlee, who is in his 11th PBA championship series overall. “Thank you for the words, RHJ. The feeling is mutual. He’s an incredible competitor. A great player.
“Throughout his professional career and amateur career, he’s been great. I got a lot of praise from him in that regard.”
Clearly, both sides are motivated and looking forward to facing each other in this PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, but with a healthy respect for the other’s capabilities. It should make for a fascinating series.
“We’re gonna come in and just try our best,” Brownlee concluded. “We’ve been working hard. It’s just been building up to this point. We feel very confident where we’re at. We know it’s going to be tough with TNT and Coach Chot. We know he’s going to have those guys ready. We’re just waiting for a hard-fought series and trying to do what we can to come out on top.”
Images by PBA Media Bureau.