MANILA, Philippines – Sa kanyang pang-10 laro ay saka pa lamang nakita at naramdaman ni two-time PBA Grand Slam champion coach ang bitbit na ‘never-say-die- spirit ng Barangay Ginebra.
Mula sa 22-point deficit sa third period ay nagtiyaga ang Gin Kings na makabangon para talunin ang NLEX Road Warriors at kumuha ng ‘twice-to-beat’ advantage sa quarterfinal round ng 2015 PBA Philippine Cup noong Linggo.
“This is the first time I’ve seen that never say die (attitude),” sabi ni Cone.
“It’s not created from the coaches; it’s not even created from the players.” “It’s really created from the fans,” dagdag pa ni Cone.
Nang tabunan ng Road Warriors ang Gin Kings sa 75-53 sa 3:23 minuto ng third period ay naupo na lamang si Cone at ipinasok ang kanyang second unit na sina No. 3 overall pick Scottie Thompson, Dave Marcelo, Chris Ellis at Nico Salva.
Mula sa 59-79 pagkakaiwan sa NLEX sa 10:44 minuto ng fourth quarter ay nakatabla ang Ginebra sa 83-83 sa huling 4:12 minuto ng laro.
Ayon kay Cone, malaki ang naitulong ng mga fans ng Gin Kings sa kanilang ikalawang sunod na panalo.
“I mean, you can’t help but feel so pumped up when the fans go crazy like that, and you’re on a run,” sabi ni Cone.
“That never say die attitude, I always thought that was maybe from the coaching staff, from the players, but now that I’m here, I realized that it’s not from the coaches, it’s not from the players. It’s really driven by the fans,” wika pa ni Cone.
Ngayon ay taglay na rin ni Cone ang ‘never-say-die’ attitude ng Ginebra.