BARANGAY Ginebra’s champion head coach Tim Cone says he enjoyed the PBA more without Chot Reyes in it.

In a talk on the show “The Game,” the multi-titled head coach says competition in the league is going to be so much tougher with Reyes now back at the helm of the flagship team of the Manny V. Pangilinan group — the TNT Tropang Giga.

“Chot and I have been at it for a long time. I was really happy that he coached Gilas. It was great that he was gone. That made my life so much easier,” said Cone.

The bulk of Cone’s titles — nine to be more specific — has come with Reyes not coaching in the league.

“I’m not saying that I missed those wars. I didn’t miss them at all. I got the short end of a lot of them but it’s going to come back,” said Cone.

With Reyes on the comeback trail, Cone said he is looking forward to their battles, which started way back when they were playing against one another in an inter-village basketball tournament.

“Our relationship, ironically, started in an actual on-court battle. We were competing against each other in the inter-village wars in Makati and that’s where we started. That’s where we met each other. We were fierce rivals. I mean, physically, nagtitirahan, nagsisikuhan rivals,” said Cone.

That fierce on-court rivalry eventually blossomed into a tight working relationship when Reyes was tapped to become Cone’s assistant coach at Alaska in the early ‘90s. (JNP)