The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals is as much a Brownlee vs. RHJ matchup as it is about two storied franchises—TNT Tropang Giga and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel—locking horns once more.
Justin Brownlee, of course, is arguably the GOAT import of Asia’s first pay-for-play league, having won six titles already with Ginebra and helping Gilas Pilipinas reach lofty heights. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson—or simply RHJ—isn’t too shabby either, leading TNT to back-to-back PBA Governors’ Cup titles while putting himself in prime position to win a third Best Import plum.
Needless to say, Brownlee vs. RHJ is the matchup to watch. And it could very well determine if the Tropa will get another title at the expense of Ginebra or if the crowd darlings will finally get their revenge.
That thus begs the question: Who has the advantage?
The Brownlee vs. RHJ Matchup Has Been One-Sided Lately
If recent history is the sole basis, then Hollis-Jefferson and TNT looks to have a distinct advantage in this highly anticipated third installment of Brownlee vs. RHJ. The results—two championships for the Tropa, two heartbreaks for Ginebra—are indicative of this advantage.
More than that, the numbers bear this out. In the last PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, Hollis-Jefferson got the better of Brownlee in every way imaginable. RHJ was statistically superior, posting per-game averages 25.8 points, 12 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 block as opposed to Brownlee’s 16.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.8 steal, and 0.7 block.
Hollis-Jefferson also played a vital role in holding down Brownlee to a pedestrian 42.7% shooting clip on 4-for-20 from downtown—subpar for JB’s superlative standards. Known for conjuring fourth quarter magic, Brownlee went silent when it mattered most in five of the six games in that Finals, and RHJ was a big reason why.
Brownlee played better in his most recent faceoff with Hollis-Jefferson in the elimination round of this PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Yet he was still outscored 25-20 and looked nothing like the Brownlee that zoomed to GOAT conversations after going 6-0 in the Finals. In fact, Kabayan has lately not played like the Magic Brownlee PBA fans have gotten to know through the years.
So far in this Commissioner’s Cup, Brownlee is averaging 23.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steal, and 0.9 block on 34.9% shooting from downtown. These are great stats but are the lowest in JB’s illustrious PBA career. In contrast, Hollis-Jefferson is putting up 28.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.8 blocks this conference and is even outshooting Brownlee from the arc—37.3% to 34.9%.
Brownlee vs. RHJ Is a Matchup of Special Players
Regardless of who has the upper hand, Ginebra coach Tim Cone hit it right on the head when he described Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson as “two special players” and their matchup as “monumental.”
“Just two special players. We’re lucky that this time right now in the PBA, we’re able to witness these two guys go at each other,” said Cone at the pre-Finals presscon on Monday. “These are monumental times. I think when we look back 10 years from now, we’re going to be remembering this time when the rivalry was big between Justin and RHJ.”
Indeed, Brownlee vs. RHJ has become a stellar rivalry. Unfortunately, it has been one-sided in favor of the TNT import. And unless Brownlee proves otherwise, Hollis-Jefferson has the upper hand so far.
