Friendship has to be set aside when coaches Tim Cone of B-MEG and Chot Reyes take centerstage on Monday’s opening salvo of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals.
The two men go back a long way. Reyes’ first job as a PBA assistant coach was with Alaska, as a deputy for Cone. They have gone on to become two of the most successful coaches in PBA history, with Cone winning 13 titles and Reyes having eight under his belt.
They will be meeting for the sixth time in the championship round, with Reyes holding a 3-2 lead in their matchup.
Cone said it’s always a pleasure coaching against his friend and rival.
“Chot brings out the best in you,” said Cone, who defeated Reyes in the 1996 All-Filipino Conference and the 2003 Invitational Conference.
Reyes, who has victories over his friend in the 1994 Commissioner’s Cup, the 2002 All-Filipino Conference, and the 2008-09 Philippine Cup, said he’s looking forward to matching wits once more against Cone, who is gunning for his first title since leaving Alaska.
“Tim and I go back a long way and I will always cherish the opportunity playing against him,” he said.
“But he has a different set of pieces right now. Meeting Tim always demands the best in me. As coaches that’s what we live for. You make your team do their best.”
