IN this latest playoff duel between Barangay Ginebra and Meralco, Justin Brownlee is now up against a different import in Akil Mitchell after mostly duking it out with Allen Durham.
Brownlee said that while this is the first time in the PBA postseason that he is facing Mitchell, they have actually battled overseas before, so he knows how difficult it will be to close out the Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals series on Friday.
“He’s tough, very active, very physical,” said Brownlee of Mitchell. “I actually played him in France. That was over a decade, or about a decade ago. I’ve been familiar with his game for 10 years now.”
Brownlee is now facing a fourth Bolts import in the PBA playoffs, and hopes to share the same success he's had against the likes of Arinze Onuwaku in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals and Tony Bishop in the 2021 Governors’ Cup finals.
The Gin Kings' reliable reinforcement, of course, squared off with Durham the most, as they competed in the playoffs four times, including three in the finals of the Governors’ Cup in 2016, 2017, and 2019.
Brownlee said Mitchell can also be comparable to Durham, whose most recent and last clash with the Ginebra import resulted to being swept in the 49th Season Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
“To be honest, he’s a little bit similar,” answered Brownlee, when asked to compare Mitchell with Meralco’s former resident import. “But I think the main thing, obviously, is he is bigger.”
“He’s definitely strong. But in my opinion, he’s a lot like Allen. I think Allen, of course, over the years, he built more team chemistry, so he probably knows the guys a little bit more and things like that. But I think they’re a lot similar.”
Ginebra's got Meralco's number
Brownlee had 23 points and nine rebounds in Ginebra’s 100-92 win over the Bolts in Game One, while Mitchell had 19 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, and three steals in their first playoff encounter.
READ: Ginebra asserts mastery of Meralco, takes 1-0 series lead
Brownlee hopes that Ginebra can overcome Mitchell anew in Game Two, as he expects the same kind of effort from the Meralco import even though he has been dealing with injuries.
“He’s just so physically relentless, got his teammates involved (in Game One). And of course, we know that he’s not 100-percent, but he came out and gave 100-percent effort. So very respectable opponent. Just looking forward to the next game and hopefully, we can have more success,” he said.
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