JUSTIN Brownlee won’t deny that losing to TNT for the second straight PBA Governors Cup Finals stings, but he’s nonetheless proud of how Ginebra fought valiantly up until the very end.
A fourth-quarter collapse ended Barangay Ginebra’s title hopes as the Tropang Giga came away with a championship-clinching 95-85 win on Friday in front of a capacity crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT’s defense was once again the story of the night as they limited Ginebra to just 11 points in the payoff period to steal the win after trailing by eight at the end of the third quarter, 74-66.
READ TNT to bring back RHJ for next conference, says Jolas
For Brownlee, though, there’s not an ounce of regret with how things turned out especially after they battled back from an 0-2 hole
“It was a good series, it was fun. Not the way we want it to end but we competed, they played great and they won. Congratulations to them. It’s well deserved. We gave it all we had, we just came up short,” he said.
“Good fight from our guys, proud of the team definitely with how far we’ve come. It just hurts a little bit coming up short but congratulations to TNT though.”
No injuries, says Brownlee
He also denied that he’s nursing an injury after his uncharacteristic offensive struggles in this series.
Brownlee once again had an average game by his standards as he finished with just 16 points on 8-21 shooting in this closeout loss.
READ: TNT outduels Ginebra in Game 6 dogfight to complete title repeat
It looked like he was starting to get his rhythm after scoring eight points in that period, but he was limited to only two points in the fourth quarter where TNT created separation for good.
Instead, he attributed his struggles to the Tropang Giga’s defensive scheme on him while stating that he also didn’t do a good job getting himself into rhythm for much of the series.
“I guess just their team defense. I’ve got to admit, it’s tough. They had a really good game plan. They executed it really well by playing me a certain way, so I’ve got to give a lot of credit to them,” he said.
“I would say for myself too I was a little off my game. I feel like I’ve gotten some shots that I can normally make but I didn't connect so it was definitely a mixture of me not being able to get into a rhythm, and their defense not allowing me to get into a rhythm.”
He also put the spotlight on his counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for elevating TNT into a totally different team altogether.
Hollis-Jefferson finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in the clincher but according to Brownlee, RHJ’s addition to this team transcends his numbers.
They’ve had great imports in the past who can put similar, if not better, numbers but like his case with Ginebra, RHJ is simply the perfect fit for TNT.
“He’s good. I’ve got to give him credit. He fits that team very well, he definitely elevates them. They play better with him,” he said.
“They’ve got some great imports in the past, Terrence Jones, Glenn Rice was there before, they’ve got some really good imports but with the way they play with RHJ, they got something special in him, a lot of credit to him and what he’s doing on that team.”
But with both of them likely returning for their respective squads in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, Brownlee is hoping he gets another crack at Jefferson soon as he’s yet to win a series against the NBA vet in the PBA.
“Man, I hope so. We definitely would want to get back in the finals and would love to get a shot at them again,” Brownlee said.
“We definitely still feel confident going up against any team in this league. Unfortunately, tonight TNT got us. The better team won.”
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