THE fiery opening salvo of this season’s final Big Dance was underway at press time at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night, with the combatants’ goals hinging largely not on what they seem to be.
TNT’s biggest elephant in the room—the chance to complete a rare Grand Slam—is not playing in the mind of Tropang 5G coach Chot Reyes.
“Believe it or not, hindi ko talaga inisip iyong Grand Slam. Even up to now, when I come to coach, I coach what’s in front of me,” Reyes said before Game 1 of their best-of-7 title battle against the San Miguel Beermen in the PBA Philippine Cup. “Even in our team discussions, we really never talk about winning a championship.
“We talk about being the hardest-working, best-conditioned team. If we do that, then the winning will follow,” he added.
Ditto with SMB counterpart Leo Austria, who insisted their aim is to regain lost glory—and foil TNT’s date with destiny.
“We’re not here to stop their (Tropang 5G’s) bid for the Grand Slam. We’re here to win games and eventually win the championship,” Austria offered. “We realized na it (failing to advance to the playoffs of the last conference) should not happen again to us.
“I’m so happy with the players because everybody has stepped up from day one of the training to this conference. They’re moving differently now. Iyong body language makikita mo and then naging mas united kami.”
The only six-time recipient of the pro league Coach of the Year, Reyes, 61, nearly steered the flagship team of the MVP Group to a Triple Crown in 2011 that would have put him in a prestigious list that included Baby Dalupan, Tommy Manotoc, Norman Black, and Tim Cone as the only tacticians to have won three titles in one season.
But Reyes’ Talk ‘N Text side was denied by the Beermen, then carrying the Petron Blaze Boosters banner.
“The year 2011 is really ancient history for me,” Reyes said. “It’s not even in my consciousness.
“This tournament, these finals, is going to be nice to win on its own merits, not because of any past experience.”
So much has changed since 2011—SMB assistant coach Ato Agustin called the shots for the squad back then and reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo had a year left before he entered the PBA.
For Austria, winning the crown jewel of Asia’s pioneering league is all that matters.
“I think everybody is expecting us to contend in the All-Filipino because we were in eight out of the last 10 finals,” he said.
“Hindi naman kami ganoong kalakasan pero laging sinasabi (SMB is team to beat) so paninindigan na namin ito.”
