MANILA, Philippines — Meralco Bolts head coach Norman Black hopes to finally be able to get one back in his head-to-head PBA Finals match ups against decorated tactician Tim Cone as the Bolts and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel clash in the Governor's Cup Finals beginning Wednesday.
Having met Ginebra thrice before since 2015 in the finals, Black hopes fourth time's the charm for himself and his team.
"I've never beaten Tim before so maybe this will be the right time to get it done," Black said after their 94-81 victory over the Magnolia Hotshots on Friday.
"We've been meeting a lot lately, and he's been on the winning end every time," he added.
Ginebra's last three Governor's Cup titles came at the expense of Black and the Bolts.
Despite history looking to favor the Gin Kings, Black believes they have enough time to prepare and hopefully pull the rug from under the defending champions.
"They have a couple of days rest on us so that's gonna help them a little bit, but fortunately I think the earliest we'll start is on Wednesday, so we have more than enough time to prepare and more than enough time to get some rest," said Black.
"It should be interesting again," he added.
But before Black gets back to work and look forward to his latest match up against Cone's Gin Kings, the tactician wants to take a moment to celebrate where they are at present.
"Right now, I'm gonna enjoy this — making it to the finals because it has been a struggle this conference to get here," he said.
Game One of the Finals tips off at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, April 6, at 6 p.m.