MANILA, Philippines – Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT once again stand in Justin Brownlee’s way from becoming the winningest PBA import of all time.
And Brownlee hopes for a favorable result when he and Barangay Ginebra face the Tropang Giga in the finals for the third time in the last five conferences as they dispute the Commissioner’s Cup crown starting on March 14.
“Hopefully, you know what they say, third time’s the charm. It’s going to be hard-fought battle for us. They’ve been having our number,” said Brownlee.
“They played well in the past two finals, so hopefully, we can get in there and have a different outcome.”
Brownlee was previously undefeated in the finals, leading the Gin Kings to six championships as he tied Sean Chambers of the fabled Alaska teams in the 1990s for the record of mosts PBA titles won by an import.
Winning the record-breaking seventh championship, though, has proven to be a tall order, with Brownlee and Ginebra falling prey to Hollis-Jefferson and TNT in the finals of the last two Governors’ Cup editions.
But a lot has changed for both teams.
The Tropang Giga will be without Jayson Castro after the veteran guard sustained a season-ending knee injury, while the Gin Kings added former TNT standout Troy Rosario and welcomed back Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray.
“I think we’re more ready than ever. So hopefully, everything will just come together on March 14,” said Brownlee.
“We’ve been getting a lot better as a team, chemistry has been getting better.”
Preventing Hollis-Jefferson from taking over will be a priority for Ginebra after the former NBA player wreaked havoc in the final four.
A two-time Best Import, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 28.8 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.0 steal as the Tropang Giga scored a 4-1 series win over Rain or Shine in their best-of-seven semifinals.
“He’s a tough matchup for anybody in this league,” said Brownlee, who put up 18.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.2 steals for the Gin Kings in their five-game semifinal conquest of NorthPort.
“We’re going to try to do our best to try to contain him.” – Rappler.com