Justin Brownlee saved the day again for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 2 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
In need of a win to avoid a 2-0 hole, Ginebra escaped the TNT Tropang Giga, 71-70, on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena thanks mostly to the heroics of their super import. The 36-year-old scattered 35 points—essentially half of Ginebra’s total—on top of 11 rebounds and scored Game 2’s final four points to lead the crowd darlings to the all-important triumph.
The first couple of those points came off a beautiful reverse lay-in at the 2:04 mark of the fourth, just as TNT had built a three-point lead. With Ginebra in need of a basket, Brownlee drove against counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, sidestepped his defense, and went from one side of the basket to the other to move Ginebra to within 70-69.
Brownlee then found himself in transition a few plays later and drew a foul on RR Pogoy. He calmly sank both free throws to give Ginebra back the lead—one it didn’t surrender anymore despite the best efforts of TNT and RHJ.
Powering Through: Justin Brownlee Fighting Off Fatigue, Effects of Asthma
Game 2 was one gargantuan effort from Justin Brownlee, and he did it from the get-go and while playing essentially the entire game. That’s not exactly the kind of workload a 36-year-old should be getting, especially after he’s played almost nonstop for over a year now.
But Brownlee, ever the good soldier, doesn’t mind. Neither is he complaining. In fact, he’s powering through whatever.
“Fatigue is just something I’m trying not to worry about. And if I’m tired, I just gotta push through it, just like everybody else on the team,” Brownlee told reporters after playing 45:39 minutes of a possible 48 in Game 2. “I think at this point, when you reach the Finals, everybody gets a little fatigue and maybe have some aches and pains.”
“But you can’t really think about those things, just gotta push through it,” he emphasized.
After carrying Ginebra in Game 2, it’s fair to surmise that Brownlee was a little fatigued afterward, especially after he dealt with asthma prior to Game 1—a condition that reportedly was bad enough that he had to be sent to the hospital for treatment.
“Sorry guys, he’s been battling asthma and sick all this whole week. We’re just trying to keep him healthy and so he can do what he did tonight,” Tim Cone interjected as he asked his prized reinforcement to cut short his press conference duties.
It’s hard to fault Cone if he wants Brownlee to get as much rest as he can. The two teams square off again tomorrow, March 19, this time at PhilSports Arena for the pivotal Game 3. And he will need to do what he did in Game 2 if Ginebra will fend off what will surely be a furious TNT fight back.
Expect Justin Brownlee to do his best to power through.
