BAY Area coach Brian Goorjian admitted his ballclub will continue to have problems in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals if Justin Brownlee will continue to play the way he did on Sunday.
Brownlee played an all-around effort highlighted by a series-high 37 points in Barangay Ginebra’s 101-91 win over Bay Area in Game Five that put the Gin Kings on the cusp of another league championship.
Goorjian said his team was unable to contain Brownlee or match the energy he brought to Game Five. The reigning Best Import winner did more than score, tallying eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and four blocks.
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The Bay Area coach hailed Brownlee as the difference in the game.
“The MVP [Best Import] of the league, the man really performed under pressure. Made the big baskets, the big defensive plays, the big passes. He is truly a tremendous player, all-around player. Again, 37 points tonight, and a ton of rebounds, a ton of assists. He is something to deal with,” said Goorjian.
Bay Area made a comeback late in the game, cutting down Barangay Ginebra’s lead to 91-86, approaching the final two-minute mark.
But with the way Brownlee was impacting the game, Goorjian admitted that he decided to call a double team on the Ginebra import and force him to give up the ball.
The decision backfired as the ball eventually found its way to an open Stanley Pringle, who knocked down two crucial threes to increase the lead to 11.
“We didn’t want Brownlee to beat us. He had 37 points. So we doubled him. And we thought we did a good job of rotating. And their clutch kid from the corner (Pringle) won [the game for them],” the Bay Area coach said.
“But that was my call. I didn’t want Brownlee doing that. It’s like Michael Jordan. You want somebody else to beat you, make it Steve Kerr," he added. "And tonight, [Pringle] was sensational. He hit that corner jump shot, under pressure, he hit two. And that was the difference,” added Goorjian.
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