TIM Cone gave credit to Rondae Hollis Jefferson and TNT’s defense for making life miserable for Barangay Ginebra import Justine Brownlee in the just concluded PBA Governors Cup Finals.
At the same time, the Ginebra coach blamed himself for not helping the 36-year-old Brownlee enough to extricate himself from the Tropang Giga’s defense.
“This whole thing with what’s wrong with Justine. Just got to think what’s right with RHJ and their (Tropang Giga) defense. Just got to tip your hat where you need to tip it, and right now it’s them,” said Cone after the Kings lost the title series to the Tropang Giga, 4-2.
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In a way, it was Cone’s approach on the nagging issue regarding Brownlee’ rumored health issue that saw the Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player struggle for almost the entire finals.
Brownlee, a three-time Best Import winner, averaged just 19.6 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while playing an average of close to 43 minutes per game.
Those numbers obviously will be compared to Hollis Jefferson, who normed 25.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 44 playing minutes per game.
But Cone, 66, said he also had his share too, for JB playing un-Brownlee-like during the title series.
“Justine was great against San Miguel and struggled at times, too,” Cone said of the Kings’ semifinals series against the Beermen.
“He’s not superman. Again, when he’s not playing well, that’s on me. That’s my fault,” admitted the champion mentor. “That’s not him. I got to figure out a way to get him open, to get him free, to get him shots, and I wasn’t able to do that this time.”
Ball is life for JB
And lest people had forgotten, Cone reminded people how Brownlee had been playing basketball all-year round.
“He’s a little worn down,” Cone pointed out. “Right now, he’s got to turn around and start practicing with Gilas. So he got Gilas next, and then what? Three days after Gilas, a new conference starts.”
Brownlee is set to banner anew the national team’s campaign in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers set Nov. 21-24 at the Mall of Asia Arena against visiting squads New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Then on Nov. 27, the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup kicks off, where the Kings are again looking to bring back the 6-foot-6 Brownlee as their import.
READ Is something bothering Justin Brownlee after Game 5 loss?
“It’s a little unfair for him at this point. He came from Indonesia, he got here, had to have this long conference, and then now he has to get to Gilas and then go to the next conference,” said Cone.
Possibly, the wear and tear of the game has caught up with Brownlee that his problems with cramping resurfaced several times during the first conference.
There were even talks about a possible hamstring injury hampering Brownlee, but there were no official statement from the Ginebra side on what possibly ailed the Kings’ resident import during the title series.
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