Putting on a show
- Kings’ Brownlee dominates Bolts in front of former college teammate
Justin Brownlee propelled Barangay Ginebra to victory in the opener of their latest playoff showdown with rival Meralco.
And the Gin Kings’ 99-92 win on Thursday in Game 1 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at Ninoy Aquino Stadium allowed a player from Brownlee’s past to witness firsthand why he’s an iconic name in this part of the world.
“It’s amazing to see everything he’s accomplished and everything he’s done,” said DJ Kennedy, Brownlee’s ex-teammate at St. John’s University, who will serve as Meralco’s second import in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
Brownlee and Kennedy played together for the school nicknamed the Red Storm during the great PBA import’s last two seasons in the US NCAA Division I. In 2011, St. John’s reached the NCAA Tournament but lost in the first round.
As Brownlee created a legendary career in the Philippines with Ginebra and Gilas Pilipinas, Kennedy followed a two-game NBA stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2012 by playing in the NBA D-League, France, Israel, Germany, Russia, Siberia, China, Turkey, Australia, Italy and Ukraine.
“Meralco’s got a good one,” Brownlee said, his smile beaming when asked about his first interaction with Kennedy.
Brownlee and Kennedy dapped up before the opener of the best-of-five series, and the two plan to follow it up with a lengthier conversation sometime in the near future.
“I will try to catch up and have dinner, lunch or something in the future,” he said.
Game 2
For now, the two are focused on their business, with Brownlee powering the Gin Kings past the Bolts by posting 29 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
He got help from Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson and RJ Abarrientos, especially in the latter stretch as Ginebra bucked Meralco’s comeback from 15 down in the third and took a one-point lead in the fourth.
Game 2 of the series is set for Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum as Ginebra hopes to gain a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
Kennedy, meanwhile, is days away from his Meralco debut in the EASL where he’ll serve as a second import alongside Allen Durham. The Bolts also tapped Ange Kouame as their naturalized player.
Meralco opens the EASL on Oct. 2 against the Macau Black Bears at Mall of Asia Arena.
“I’m just looking forward to playing with these guys and helping them make a great run at the EASL,” said Kennedy.
The game between the Gin Kings and the Bolts also saw the return of Joe Devance from his two-year retirement. The 12-time champion finished with two points in six minutes of action.
Five players scored in double figures for the Bolts, led by Cliff Hodge’s 23 points, in the defeat that saw Meralco rally from a 66-51 deficit in the third.
Meralco went ahead, 78-77, with 9:14 in the fourth on a basket by Chris Banchero, but Brownlee and Aguilar accounted for much of the points Ginebra produced the rest of the way to tow the Kings to safety.
Durham, facing Ginebra for the fourth time in the playoffs, but the first time outside of a championship setting, tallied 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Beermen score
Meanwhile, in the later game, San Miguel Beer drew first blood in its quarterfinal showdown against Converge, hammering out a 102-95 victory.
“It’s good that we won because we were coming from two straight losses,” said June Mar Fajardo, who had 25 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.
The Beermen were comfortably ahead but got rattled a bit by a late run of the FiberXers, who moved to within four, 99-95, with 58 seconds remaining.
“It’s just [lack of] composure,” said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent. “We wanted to finish the game fast when we should have held the ball a little longer.” INQ
