Cone on cusp of 2nd Grand Slam

Tim Cone. PBA FILE PHOTO/NUKI SABIO

MANILA, Philippines — Tim Cone came to San Mig Coffee about three years ago telling everyone that his stint with his first PBA team outside of Alaska is not about just one championship.

“I told them that this is about being something special, being different,” Cone said, recalling his first official meeting with Purefoods president Butch Alejo. “Not many teams have done that before. They take a lot of pride in that. Certainly, I do.”

Cone has done so many special things in his short time with the Mixers, who won their fourth title on his watch by pocketing the Commissioner’s Cup over Talk ‘N Text on Thursday night—and third straight—to move on the threshold of the Grand Slam.

With the first two jewels already in the bag, the sweet sweep beckons and the veteran Cone knows that it could work against his Mixers starting their first game in the Governors’ Cup in just over a week.

“We will try not to talk about it, because it will only put tremendous pressure on the players,” he said. Obviously, Cone knows what he is talking about, having steered Alaska to a rare treble in 1996, which was the last time it was pulled off.

Only three other teams, the Crispa squads of 1976 and 1983 and San Miguel Beer in 1989, have completed Grand Slams, and Cone is also hot in pursuit of fortifying his tag as the greatest PBA coach of all time if he can complete his second Slam.

“The work that goes with this is really astounding,” Cone explained. “You need to be building (your team) on the trust and the desire to be a little different, a little special. You must be able to make the players look at that.”

There have been failed bids in recent past for the Grand Slam, with defunct Sunkist failing in 1995 and Talk ‘N Text in 2012.