Barangay Ginebra imports Justin Brownlee with LA star guard Tenorio. PBA . IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines – He did it, again. A sensational performance, all for an empathetic win for Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday night. Whether that leads Gin Kings to another PBA Governor’s Cup Final remains to be seen, but Justin Brownlee’s performance more than reinforces the fact that he remains the unfathomable measure that many Importers should judge themselves in the era of this league.
The American forward finished with 47 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three interceptions in one. 112-93 Game 4 win NLEX that put Gin Kings back on the championship streak. But despite being a humble colleague, Brownlee was not in the mood to attract attention.
“It feels good. I know I scored all those points but it feels better to win. I’m glad we won and I’m glad I could contribute to that, ‘ he told reporters.
To understand the breadth of Brownlee’s accomplishments on Ginebra is to quantify it in numbers. He has steered the crowd to four of their most recent five PBA titles. Three of those went to the Managers’ Cup – a strangled tournament that is a championship unmatched by the dynasties of Alaska and Purefoods.
It’s no small surprise that Ginebra coach Tim Cone compared Brownlee to one of the PBA’s legendary names.
“Justin playing is the type that you will look back on and for me, I remember watching a game, going live and watching Billy Ray Bates play. As a kid – and that’s still indelible in my mind – watching and being able to say ‘I was there with Billy Ray Bates,’ he said.
“This is what, 30, 40 years later. This is when, you watch Justin Brownlee, you’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, I watched Justin Brownlee.’ Like, I watched Billy Ray Bates,” he continued.
Cone’s comparison wasn’t something that was simply taken out of the air. Brownlee got closer to the leaping Bates in the all-time import scale. Bates has accumulated 4,523 points – ranked 5th among imported items. As things stand, Ginebra’s trump card needs 158 more hits to overcome the legendary Crispa.
“So take advantage of it while you can. Come and meet him. He won’t be here forever, but you’ll be able to tell your family, friends, cousins — everyone you’ve watched Justin Brownlee play. And that’s going to be something special,” Cone said.
Brownlee certainly appreciates how far he’s come at Ginebra, and he’s become such an integral part of the franchise.
But he insists it was just the product of sticking his nose into the whetstone.
“Man, it sure feels good – successful – you know,” he told reporters. “But I credit that success to everyone who participated. I know that it’s not just a player — it’s a group of people who actually come to practice, come to work every day and just really work. ”
“It just takes that mentality to jump in and work hard,” he continued. “It feels great to reap the benefits of the work you put in.”
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