JUSTIN Brownlee is not one to make excuses and he gives credit where credit is due.
The Barangay Ginebra import took his hat off to Meralco for coming through with an 83-74 win, but at the same time felt the Kings have nothing to blame but themselves for losing Game 3 of the PBA Governors Cup Finals.
Brownlee said the Kings failed to execute when they needed it most late in Game Three, so uncharacteristic for a team which won the same import-laden conference three times in its last four stagings.
“I felt like we made a lot of mistakes especially in key moments. I felt like this one was more on us,” said the soft-spoken Ginebra resident import.
'We're not kind of ourselves'
“I give a lot of credit to Meralco, but I really feel tonight like we’re not kind of ourselves, not making free throws, we didn’t make shots that we normally make.”
Brownlee himself was nowhere near his deadly form, hitting just 8-of-21 of his shots to finish with 19 points- his lowest output so far in the best-of-seven title series.
He acknowledged the Bolts’ defense had a lot to do with it.
“Give a lot of credit to Meralco, they played tough, they played hard. Coach Norman Black really came out with a good game plan against our team, and they came out and executed well,” Brownlee said.
The 33-year-old import had 11 in the first period alone, but was held to eight the rest of the way. He finished with 15 rebounds, seven assists, and six block shots, but went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.
But it’s just one game.
Despite trailing the Bolts, 1-2, in the finals, Brownlee is confident he’ll eventually begin knocking down those shots again.
“But I'll just keep shooting, and I got to make shots," he said. “Some of the shots I missed were definitely great defense. Some I just had time and space so I was open and I just missed it. So sometimes it happens that I’m shooting like that.
“Hopefully next game, I can knock some shots down.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
