Cone disrespected the fans more than black
IF Meralco won last night, well and good.
Now, if Barangay Ginebra prevailed, Meralco might be doomed.
I wrote this hours before their Game 4 tiff was to blast off—Meralco needing to win to forge a 2-2 deadlock in their best-of-seven series for the PBA Governors’ Cup.
But a Barangay Ginebra victory would push Meralco down to a scary 1-3 rut, making it almost impossible for a bounce back by the Bolts.
Having said that, let me now digress on Tim Cone’s uncalled for outburst on Wednesday.
First, Cone threw dagger looks at the Meralco bench after Bolts coach Norman Black called for a timeout in the dying ticks of the game.
Cone, the league’s winningest coach, resented Black’s action, calling it unnecessary because, with only seconds left, Meralco had practically sealed the win due to its unreachable margin.
After the game, Cone didn’t shake hands with Black, even hurling hurtful remarks at the Meralco coach as he passed by the Bolts bench.
Black was overheard saying, “It was my timeout and I have every right to call it.” Or words to that effect.
Before this ugly incident authored yet again by Cone, the Ginebra coach had also questioned, several times in the past, the practice of teams firing baskets even when victory was already secured.
Cone’s accuses teams doing that as being “respectful” of the game. The NBA doesn’t do that stuff? Cone’s view we must respect at all times. But then again, the PBA isn’t the NBA. Over here, we do it the Filipino way. For as long as there is time to shoot that ball, shoot. If there is a timeout left, use it by all means. There is no rule prohibiting one from using it. How can that be respectful of the game when the rules allow it, including shooting baskets when time hasn’t expired?
Anyway, Cone has apologized for his irratio-
nality. He said: “I regret my actions after Game 3 ended. Yes, I was upset about the timeout that was called late in the game, but there is no one in the PBA that I respect more than Norman Black.”
Fine. But Cone also owes an apology to PBA Commissioner Narvasa and to the Ginebra organization as well. And, yes, also, to the most important sector of the league: the fans.
Cone has disrespected them all more than Black.