FROM his milestone No. 1,000 career win as a PBA coach, Tim Cone is determined to get the next win right in the next game.
Cone refused to make a big deal out of hitting the mark Friday, as he'd rather keep his team focused on their goal to make the Top 2 in the PBA Commissioner's Cup eliminations.
The twice-grand slam-winning coach and his Barangay Ginebra Kings try to get going as they clash Sunday with the TNT squad which is fighting to keep spot in the Magic Eight.
It's one of the keenly awaited clash in the homestretch of the single-round-robin elims -- another virtual playoff setto pitting the Clark bubble champs and the Bacolor bubble titlists.
Tip-off is at 6:45 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Kings going for a fifth straight win and seventh overall in nine outings, and the Tropang Giga out to bounce back from a sorry loss to the Meralco Bolts the last time out to regain .500 mark.
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Coach Chot Reyes and his troops are now in a tight spot, sharing seventh place with the
Bolts at 4-5. Right behind them are Rain or Shine at 4-6 and San Miguel Beer at 3-5.
"We'll definitely go for win No. 1,001 against TNT," said Cone to stress the importance of their tiff with the Tropang Giga.
He's crossing swords with Reyes, a few days after working together to churn out wins for Gilas Pilipinas in their Middle East sojourn versus Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
If they get the better end of the match, the Kings will formalize entry into the playoffs and stay in the rumble for a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.
The Kings are on a hot run marked by victories over Magnolia, Terrafirma, San Miguel Beer and Blackwater.
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And it seems they're still far from peak form.
On Friday against Blackwater, the kings saw some of the things they can get from Jeremiah Gray in his 15-point breakout performance.
Then there's the stream of steady performances from Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson and Jamie Malonzo.
The TNT coach would be the first to say they need to raise the level of their play if they're to compete with the Kings. (SB)
