GINEBRA’s PBA 50th Season Commissioner's Cup title conquest is certainly one of the most gratifying for the barangay and its legion of fans all over the world, especially as it came against TNT – the Gin Kings’ tormentors over their last two championship appearances.
But for their two older statesmen in Japeth Aguilar and Justin Brownlee, it's actually much more special, knowing that Father Time is waiting on them just around the corner.
Even Brownlee, who often looked invincible in his role as Ginebra’s cool, calm and collected messiah, was quick to remind Aguilar of their human limitations.
READ: Ginebra breaks TNT hex, ends 3-year title drought with Game 7 win
After all, Brownlee’s 38 and Aguilar's 39, both with plenty of basketball mileage in their bodies, whether from professional or national team duties.
“Before the callouts, kinausap niya ako. Sabi niya, ‘Jap, this might be our last 'cause we’re getting old,’” Aguilar shared with SPIN.ph after the Gin Kings' championship-clinching 88-76 win over the Tropang 5G on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Sabi ko, 'Let’s just give it all on the floor.' Masaya ako. Nakita ko siya very emotional siya after manalo, masaya ako para sa kanya.”
Brownlee even reminded his longtime big man of their pregame conversation just when the confetti was falling and thousands of Ginebra fans were still tirelessly cheering on their boys long after the final buzzer sounded.
The soft-spoken naturalized star acknowledged the magnitude of the moment - and he wasn't about to take it for granted.
“I was just telling him like, you never know, hopefully not, in our age, it could be our last run, our last title. But hopefully not. I hope I don’t jinx myself," he said.
"Me and him both at this age, we both have a lot left in the tank. It’s proven today and throughout this conference.”
Magic Brownlee, still
Despite being up there in age, Brownlee showed no signs of slowing down in the series, becoming the first import since Carlos Briggs to drop consecutive 50-point games when he scored a career-best 54 in a Game 5 win before dropping 52 in a losing effort in Game 6.
He closed out the series with 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block in the winner-take-all.
Even though Aguilar has seen Brownlee do this countless of times both with Ginebra and Gilas Pilipinas, he remains lost for words to describe 'Magic Brownlee's,' well, magic.
“Sobra. Ibang klase. Iba talaga. Hindi ko ma-put into words,” he said.
“Ibang klase yung will niya. Yung performance niya. Kung pa'no niya kami dalhin. Talaga, ibang klase si Justin.”
And as Aguilar gave all the credit to Brownlee, the now seven-time champion import returned the favor – noting how the longest-tenured Gin King still has seasons ahead of him if he stays healthy.
In this series, Aguilar played his role as reliever to perfection - breaching the double-digit mark from Games 4 to 6, and even having a vintage poster dunk on Henry Galinato Jr. back in Game 5.
READ: Quietly, Japeth making impact for Ginebra in finals series vs TNT
He finished Game 7 with seven points, two rebounds, and a block in 11 minutes of action in the closeout game.
“Japeth has a ton of fight left. He’s still athletic and dunking like he’s in his 20s. It’s just unfortunate he went out with a groin injury. We still have a lot left in the tank, but at this age, you never know,” Brownlee said.
“God forbid, a serious injury could knock you out for a year or longer. I was just telling him you never know, this might be our last one, but we’re gonna keep fighting.”
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