Brownlee stakes perfect finals record as Ginebra battles TNT for PBA crown

MANILA, Philippines – The spotlight will be on Justin Brownlee as he tries to keep his finals record in the PBA unblemished.

But the beloved import does not want to get caught up in the hoopla of his individual achievements when Barangay Ginebra stakes its Governors’ Cup throne against TNT in a best-of-seven finals starting on Sunday, April 9.

“I’m just trying not to think about it, to be honest,” said Brownlee.

Brownlee boasts of a perfect 6-0 record in the finals, anchoring the Gin Kings to four championships in the Governors’ Cup and two in the Commissioner’s Cup.

His unbeaten streak was put to the test when guest team Bay Area dragged Ginebra to a do-or-die Game 7 in the Commissioner’s Cup finals earlier this year.

But the three-time Best Import delivered when it mattered most, churning out a near-triple-double of 34 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in their winner-take-all match to claim his sixth title with the Gin Kings.

“A lot of the fans have been saying things like that and every time we come to the finals now, it’s like, ‘Oh, the record’s going to be broken.’ But I’m just trying not to think about it,” Brownlee said.

“I’m just trying to think about one game at a time and trusting in the process that we’ve been going through.”

Preserving his spotless finals record means Brownlee will eclipse legendary Alaska reinforcement Sean Chambers for the title as the winningest import in PBA history.

Accomplishing that feat, though, will be an uphill climb as Brownlee goes up against former NBA standout Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.

The Tropang Giga lost just once in 10 games since Hollis-Jefferson came in as a mid-conference replacement for Jalen Hudson.

“He is an incredible player. He played in the NBA, of course. I’ve seen him play in the NBA and I’ve seen what he can do,” said Brownlee.

While Brownlee has been a force with averages of 27.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals, Hollis-Jefferson has been just as impressive, putting up 30.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1 block to emerge as the Best Import frontrunner.

“I think it’s just going to be tough all-around,” Brownlee said. “It’s going to be difficult to stop him.” – Rappler.com