There’s an adage in hoops that goes, “Take what the defense gives you.” And, in Game 5, Tim Cone and Justin Brownlee certainly did that and, as a result, got an all-important win that pushed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to a 3-2 lead in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals versus the TNT Tropang 5G.
Afterward, Cone admitted that he had no other choice but to take what Chot Reyes and TNT were giving Ginebra—even if it meant putting everything on the broad shoulders of the 38-year-old Brownlee.
“The way they’re defending us, they’re putting pressure on Justin to win the game by himself. We really had no recourse but to allow that to happen. But you do what you have to do to win,” Cone acknowledged in the aftermath of Ginebra’s thrilling 100-95 Game 5 win over TNT at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
Brownlee Delivers . . . Again
As if on cue, Magic Brownlee delivered the goods for Ginebra, finishing with a career-high 54 points—or more than half of the Gin Kings’ total for the game. Importantly, he fired 35 of those points in the second half, where he led Ginebra’s fight back from an 11-point deficit in the third canto.
It was essentially a one-man show for the beloved import, who has made a name in the local hoops scene for authoring heroic wins in the PBA and beyond. Even so, it probably wasn’t what Cone had in mind after Game 4, when he rued what he perceived as Ginebra’s overreliance on JB. But he’ll probably take it as he gave Kabayan an apt description after Game 5.
“I said last time we shouldn’t be so Justin-centered,” Cone said. “And what happened next? He came out with 54. He was awesome.”
Brownlee was certainly awesome in Game 5. In fact, he has been awesome all series long while being challenged by TNT to go one-on-one.
Now, the question is—does Magic Brownlee have one magical show left to seal the deal?
