JUSTIN Brownlee is looking to extend his unbeaten streak in Game 7s in Friday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup do-or-die finale between Barangay Ginebra and TNT.
Brownlee won in the two deciding games he played in the 2017 Governors’ Cup against Allen Durham of Meralco and the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup opposite Myles Powell and the Bay Area Dragon.
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He hasn’t kept track of his personal record, but when reminded about it, he said it would be good if he gets the streak going after the game.
“I don’t think I have lost in a Game 7. I haven’t thought about it,” said the 36-year-old Ginebra import.
(But) I hope I can keep that going. Hopefully.”
However, Brownlee has yet to beat TNT counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in two finals face-offs - in the 2023 and 2024 Governors' Cup, respectively.
In the two previous Game 7s he played, this one had Brownlee enduring a dislocated right thumb, a handicap which he had been playing with since Game 4 of the title series.
The Kings are 2-1 with the Ginebra import playing with a heavily-taped hand, including Game 6 which the team lost, 87-83, and saw Brownlee missing a critical free throw in the final 18 seconds that could have cut the TNT lead to just two.
Did his injured hand bother him enough to miss that foul shot?
“It got hit throughout the game, but I won’t say it bothered me. I just missed (the free throw). I just got to be locked in and focused to make those free throws. I’m okay to make those free throws,” he said.
Brownlee finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two block shots in the Game 6 win. He did commit seven turnovers of Ginebra’s total of 18, while going 2-of-6 from the stripe.
For the entire series though, the Ginebra import is the leading scorer with 24.1 points on 54 percent shooting. He also averaged 10.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a series-leading 1.17 block shots.
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