MANILA, Philippines - Sa pagkopo sa kanyang ika-16 titulo, si Tim Cone na ang head coach na may pinakamaraming koronang nakuha sa Phi-lippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Ngunit para sa 56-an-yos na si Cone, ang 90-gulang na si legendary coach Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan pa rin ang pinakamagaling na naging coach sa pro league.
“I said this the last time - no one will ever equal Baby, and I said that no one will ever surpass Baby as the greatest coach that has ever coached in this league,†sabi ni Cone sa post game interview matapos kunin ng kanyang San Mig Coffee ang korona ng 2013-2014 PBA Philippine Cup sa Game Six laban sa Rain or Shine noong Miyerkules sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I think he is one of the world’s greatest,†dagdag pa ng American mentor sa tinaguriang ‘The Maestro’ na may 15 PBA championships.
Ang sinasabing kredensyal ni Dalupan, ayon kay Cone, ay ang nakamit nitong mga kampeonato sa collegiate at commercial leagues sa bansa.
“(He won) 41 championships in his career, in the NCAA, MICAA and the PBA. It’s just an amazing statistic and a great tribute to him,†sabi ni Cone.
Tinapos ng Mixers ang kanilang best-of-se-ven championship series ng Elasto Painters sa 4-2 nang kunin ang 93-87 tagumpay sa Game Six.
“The players are just awesome. They worked very hard for this,†wika ni Cone. “Many times we could’ve quit or pulled out camp. There were so many opportunities to quit but we didn’t.â€
Hindi rin nakalimutan ni Cone na ialay ang kanilang korona sa namayapang si dating PBA mentor at PBA Board vice-chairman Ely Capacio.
“I wish Ely Capacio was here to see this. After the game, I can’t help but think that we would be going over to have dinner with the big bosses, and he would be the first one to stand up and greet me, and give me a big hug and tell me, ‘I told you so,’†ani Cone.
Para sa darating na PBA Commissioner’s Cup ay ipaparada ng Mixers si 6-foot-8 import James Mays.