The Final Score: Alaska Aces are tired of being tired

Slumped on a plastic chair in his make-shift sanctum inside the dugout, Alaska Head Coach Tim Cone looks tired. He seems spent, like a marathoner who just finished a race. And this is before Alaska’s game against San Miguel, not after. Perhaps he’s feeling the strain too. Trying to sustain success for two straight years can do that to a coach. On a micro level, losing three out of Alaska’s last four games in the PBA Philippine Cup has the same effect. “We’re trying to find ways to refresh the team," Cone says. Cone admits his team is tired. Entering the game against top-ranked San Miguel, Alaska is at 5-7. The Aces are still in contention but no longer title favorites. After winning their first three games of the conference, the Aces go on to lose the next four. It’s been up and down since. “We look forward to having a 10-day break," Cone, who has more than a week to prepare for Alaska’s game against Powerade on December 15, adds. Alaska recently inserted bowling into its schedule. After all, Cone’s practices are rarely shoot-arounds. So the players bowled for a change and were allowed to hang loose. It was, however, just a temporary change of pace, not a permanent shift in Cone’s outlook. Cone just can’t fathom using fatigue as a cop-out. Not when his team builds a 31-point lead over San Miguel in the first half. Not even when his team squanders the same 31-point lead in the second half. Sorry Topex Robinson. Sorry Elmer Espiritu. Sorry E-Cow. Even with just ten Alaska players in uniform, against a team on a five-game winning streak, Cone still refuses to deploy anyone outside of his rigid rotation (Tenorio, Baguio, Thoss, Devance, Eman, Dela Cruz, Custodio and Borboran). Champion coaches are stubborn that way. It’s late in the fourth quarter. Alaska’s gaudy first half lead is totally gone. San Miguel’s Dondon Hontiveros is going berserk. Yet Cone looks as vibrant as he’s ever been. All he needs is eight players tonight. All he needs is for starters like LA Tenorio to soldier on. Partly because Cone says they should. Partly because Cone believes they can. With just seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Hontiveros hits a three-pointer to tie the game at 89. I’m certain the game is headed into overtime. Alaska has no time-outs left. Who knows? Maybe a potent back-up point guard can help the Aces. Maybe lesser minutes for Alaska’s starters can prevent second half meltdowns. Or maybe a game like this can “refresh" Alaska in time for the playoffs. Seconds tick away, Tenorio, the player most concerned about his hyper-extended playing time, dashes to the three-point line and launches a trey over Alex Cabagnot at the buzzer. Maybe all Cone requires is for Tenorio to have the ball, and the game, in his hands. Maybe all Alaska needs at this point is to find their second wind. Look out. It’s straight. It’s strong. Bang! Off-the-glass. Game-winner. -- GMANews.TV