MANILA, Philippines – PBA coaching great Tim Cone saw similarities between the 1990s teams of the Alaska Aces and the Chicago Bulls following the conclusion of the hit documentary The Last Dance. 

“There are a lot of parallels. We started from nowhere,” Cone said in the Republika Huddle show by NBA Philippines. 

“Our team had never won a championship. Our way to get there was we ran a system that nobody else ran and we became accomplished at a system that nobody else ran,” added the 62-year-old mentor.  

The system Cone was referring to was the triangle offense, which former Bulls coach Phil Jackson – under the guidance of Tex Winter – utilized to lead the storied franchise to 6 NBA titles in the 1990s. 

Just like the Bulls, who endured a 24-season title drought in the NBA before capturing their first championship in 1991, the Aces failed to win the grand prize during their early years in the PBA. 

It was only in 1991, 5 years after joining the PBA, when the Aces broke through and nailed their maiden crown in the Third Conference.

As the Bulls dominated the NBA throughout the 1990s, so did the Aces as they clinched 7 titles from 1995 to 1998, including a rare Grand Slam in 1996. 

“We got early success [with the triangle offense] and we started being good at it and we just started believing it more and more and it evolved for us,” said Cone, who has won a record 22 PBA titles as a coach. 

“And before you know it, we’re looking back and we got this number of X championships just like the Bulls and the Lakers.” 

While the triangle offense has been a proven strategy toward success, teams both local and international have gone a different direction. 

Cone surmised it may have been because of the dedication and patience the triangle offense requires. 

“I don’t know why people don’t run it more often,” Cone said. “I don’t think they have the stick-with-it-ness to go into another level when you get stuck at one level and you want to go back to your comfort zone.”

“You got to keep pushing and believing in the triangle. That’s the only way that it’s going to be successful.” – Rappler.com