SCOTTIE Thompson have known Justin Brownlee ever since the beloved Ginebra import first stepped foot in the Philippines back in 2016, yet the former PBA MVP shared how he never stopped being in-awe of what his teammate does on the court sometimes.
Brownlee dropped a career-high 54 points, tying a 32-year-old PBA Finals record set by scoring machine Tony Harris, to lift Barangay Ginebra to a thrilling 100-95 overtime win over TNT and move a win away from lifting the PBA Commissioner's Cup title.
The 38-year-old naturalized Filipino added 14 rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block for good measure and Thompson couldn't help but be amazed especially as Brownlee did it in 51 minutes of action, playing the entire second half and overtime.
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"Tagal na namin nag-sama pero sobrang na-a-amaze ako sa ginagawa niya at this age right now," Thompson said.
"Alam ko kung pano siya mag prepare, alam ko kung pano siya magpakundisyon, and pano nya dinidisiplina yung sarili niya pati sa mga pagkain."
That Brownlee is one of the best ever players to lace a shoe in the PBA isn't a question.
But what's amazing is how he's able to keep it up at this rate and at this age, having legs to finish off a comeback win in a tough Game 5 against TNT despite his usage, and mileage.
Aside from Ginebra, Brownlee grinds with Gilas Pilipinas as its naturalized star while also suiting up for other pro clubs in the offseason like Meralco in the EASL and the Pelita Jaya in the Indonesian Basketball League.
Thompson, a guy six years younger than Brownlee, is certainly taking note.
"Medyo pinapattern ko yung disiplina ko sa kanya kasi talagang he’s a role model as a player and as an athlete. Sana makakuha pa kaimng maraming championship kasama siya."
But as amazing Brownlee is, Thompson knows that this rout is unsustainable.
For the second consecutive game, both him and RJ Abarrientos had quiet offensive outings with Brownlee having to carry the scoring burden in a 48-hour span.
While Thompson will happily take the W, he knows he has to start shaping up.
"It’s alarming for us but we’ll take it. Whatever it takes ma-i-panalo lang yung game but we know hindi ganun palagi yung resulta pag ganun yung nangyari but for now we’ll take it," Thompson stated.
"We know [what went wrong], maga-adjust kami sa Game Xix at sana makatulong pa kami sa import namin."
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