PBA: Tim Cone 'tired' of officiating narratives against Ginebra

Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone expressed frustration over recurring claims about officiating favoring his team, saying he is growing weary of the narrative as the PBA Season 50 Commissioner's Cup finals between the Gin Kings and TNT heats up.

Although he did not drop any names, Cone's remarks came amid TNT head coach Chot Reyes' comments regarding officiating throughout the best-of-seven championship series.

"I’m just getting real tired of the idea that when we win, it’s always because we were favored by the referees and when we lose [and] they win, it’s always about great coaching and great play," Cone said after TNT picked up a 98-90 win last Sunday to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on Wednesday.

"It’s a narrative that getting really old and it’s starting to bother me a little bit."

But Cone accepted the fact that they were just outplayed by TNT in Game 6, where Tropang 5G's import Chris McCullough just torched Ginebra from the outside while also getting enough help from the locals.

McCullough, a late replacement for the injured Bol Bol, dropped a career-high 53 points, highlighted by the four-point shot that gave TNT a crucial 94-86 lead in the final 1:53 of the fourth.

He also hauled in 22 rebounds along with two assists, one steal, and one block while Jordan Heading chipped in 19 points and nine assists. RR Pogoy posted 13 markers as TNT battled through the absence of Calvin Oftana and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, both of whom sat out the game due to injuries.

"I think it’s unfair. I coached against Ginebra for 27 years and it’s gotten to a point that this is crazy. It’s referees for us and great coaching for them," Cone added.

"But I’ll be the first to admit, McCullough was awesome tonight. We challenged him from the outside and he made the big shots from the outside. And Scottie and RJ were 2-of-18 from the field today, you don’t see that very often so we’re gonna feel good about ourselves going into Game 7."

Cone knows Ginebra can bounce back in the rubber match despite the struggles from recently-crowned Best Player of the Confererence RJ Abarrientos in the past two games.

"We know we can take this and we’re gonna go for it. I just hope that when we do, they don’t turn around and say it’s about the referees again."

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News