Philippine Basketball- They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To.

13 PBA titles, 22 years in service, and a whole lot of long sleeved shirts later, Coach Timothy "Tim" Cone has moved on from the Alaska franchise, to the BMeg Derby Ace Llamados.

Coach Cone's this country's version of Phil Jackson- precise, intuitive, unwavering. He's coached the National Squad before, and has mentored such hardcourt legends as Johnny Abarrientos, Jojo Lastimosa, Paul Alvarez, Kenneth Duremdes, and Jeff Cariaso.

The crazy thing about Philippine pro hoops is that there isn't any "heart" in it anymore. Players go to and fro, coaches go to and fro, and heck, I'd say everything's called too close nowadays. Should we have a "bad boy" team like Ginebra or Anejo Rhum 65 again? Maybe, if for anything else, to add some spirit into PBA rivalries. This isn't to say that more contemporary rivalries such as those between Talk N' Text and Petron, for example, don't spark interest. The new school, in many ways, just doesn't compare to what the old timers used to do.

Games back in the day were slugfests, but they too were beautiful to watch. Fans were loyal to players and teams because the coaches and players themselves espoused loyalty. Such concepts would not be anachronous even in today's league. Those would, invariably, stand the test of time. Back then, skill tended to be a byproduct of heart- and it wasn't a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

Tim Cone was a perfect example of how heart and skill blended themselves into a winner. Dexterous strategizing on the part of
Cone was often put on display by during the most critical of stretches. He also turned role players into serviceable workhorses. Roel Gomez? Alex Araneta? Dicky Bachmann? Need I say more?

Coach Tim's shift has gotten me thinking about how indeed, the old PBA has died. No more Quinito and Sev, or Joe Cantada, or Jaworski, or Dalupan, or games held regularly in the Cuneta Astrodome and at the Ultra. Before we put the headstone upon the grave that houses what the PBA was, let's make an attempt to retain all that was good about what was once known as "Asia's Premier League". One must be cognizant of the things that are being put to pasture here.

And with that, with one last "Last Two Minutes" yawp from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, we call it quits- while remembering that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, some things will live forever.

MC