Return to Ginebra all up to Brownlee
Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone took responsibility for Justin Brownlee’s rather subpar outing in Friday night’s Game 6 loss that put an end to the Gin Kings’ Governors’ Cup title aspirations.
“He’s not Superman,” he said of the resident import shortly after the series-ending 95-85 defeat at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “If he’s not playing well, that’s on me.”
“I had to figure out a way to get him open, get him free, get him shots. And I was not able to do that,” the winningest PBA mentor said.
Brownlee hardly looked like the weapon Barangay Ginebra had been using to the hilt for years in perhaps the club’s most important game of the conference. He had only 16 points, six rebounds and four assists—a notch lower than the usual figures he puts up for the crowd darlings.
For his part, Brownlee tipped his hat to TNT, but also held himself accountable for the rare off night that eventually helped doom the Gin Kings.
“I gotta admit. It was tough,” he said of the Tropang Giga’s league-best defense in a separate chat. “They really had a good game plan which they executed very well, you know, by playing me a certain way. So I gotta give lots of credit to them.”
“I would say for myself, too, I think I was a little off my game. Even I feel I got to some shots I could normally but I didn’t connect,” he went on. “So it was definitely a mixture of not being able to get into a rhythm and their defense.”
Nonstop stretch
Cone said he hopes to bring Brownlee back for the upcoming Commissioner’s Cup, which will have no height restriction for reinforcements. Ginebra, since winning titles with Brownlee, has been used to reeling him back even in tournaments that allow 6-foot-10 imports.
The decorated mentor, however, said it would still be up to Brownlee if he wants to go through another Ginebra stint even after a nonstop stretch that saw him play for Gilas Pilipinas and Pelita Jaya in Indonesia this year.
“One hundred percent yes if he wants to. The question is if he’ll want to,” Cone said. “He’s a little worn down. He’s talking about maybe taking the conference off. But we’ll see.”
“Give him a week or two to rest and maybe he’ll change his tune. But right now, he’s gonna turn around for a week and start practicing with Gilas. So we got Gilas next but three days after that, the new conference starts. So it’s gonna be a little unfair for him at that point.”
“It’s his choice. We’re not gonna make that decision for him. He’s gonna decide if he wants to play or not. [But] At this point, we are not looking, at all, for a backup. We don’t have anybody in mind,” he added.
Brownlee is likely to change his outlook especially after being presented with a scenario where he can get back at Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the Tropang Giga, who he has lost to twice now in the Finals.
“We definitely would love to get back to the Finals and love to have a shot again at them,” the 6-time champion import said. “We definitely still feel confident going up against any team in this league. But you know, it was just unfortunate tonight, or in this series. TNT—they got us. The better team won.”
