Justin Brownlee repays trust with winning play
Published Mar 30, 2023 07:29 am
Justin Brownlee might be struggling all game long but Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone still has the confidence to leave the ball in the hands of his ever-reliable import when it's winning time.
*Justin Brownlee delivers the goods in the end game (PBA Images)*
That was the level of trust the PBA’s winningest mentor has to Brownlee as Cone believes that more often than not, he will make the right play in the waning minutes, if not make the game-winning shot. Brownlee did show that clutch genes anew when he spearheaded a late fightback from the Kings that allowed them to complete a comeback from 18 points down and eventually listing their first sweep win in a best-of-five series in the Ginebra’s franchise history. The Ginebra resident import nailed an elbow jumper even after fumbling the ball to extend the Kings’ lead to three, 85-82, in the last two minutes. Even when a Marcio Lassiter triple tied the game with 26 ticks left in the clock, Brownlee delivered in the next possession, breaking down the SMB defense with a fearless drive before leaving the ball to a wide open Christian Standhardinger for a short stab with four seconds left. “It was designed for him (Standhardinger) to be along the baseline and be in that opposite position but we’re not telling him (Brownlee) to drive and then look for him. That was really on Justin,” Cone commented on the game-winning play. “We have trust in him. Even the ones before that, it was basically the same play but he did in the right side and not in the left side, pump fake and fumbled it and it still went in,” he added. Already used to seeing Brownlee save the day for Ginebra for years now, Cone admitted that his import never ceased to amaze him every time he pulled off such plays through the pressure. “It was amazing and he struggled all game. We saw it and then (suddenly) he's Michael Jordan in the last two minutes, so it’s kinda typical of Justin. Like what we kinda expected from him,” added Cone. Brownlee's ability to make the game-winning play, may it be taking the final shot, or issuing the last pass that opened things up for his teammates, makes Brownlee different from your typical PBA import. “Justin is gonna make the play. I think the difference against the other imports is that he goes out to make the winning play, not the winning shot. Sometimes, it’s gonna be the winning shot but he’ll go out there and make the winning play. It can be a pass, it can be a screen, it can be a rebound but he’ll make the winning play,” said Cone.
*Justin Brownlee delivers the goods in the end game (PBA Images)*
That was the level of trust the PBA’s winningest mentor has to Brownlee as Cone believes that more often than not, he will make the right play in the waning minutes, if not make the game-winning shot. Brownlee did show that clutch genes anew when he spearheaded a late fightback from the Kings that allowed them to complete a comeback from 18 points down and eventually listing their first sweep win in a best-of-five series in the Ginebra’s franchise history. The Ginebra resident import nailed an elbow jumper even after fumbling the ball to extend the Kings’ lead to three, 85-82, in the last two minutes. Even when a Marcio Lassiter triple tied the game with 26 ticks left in the clock, Brownlee delivered in the next possession, breaking down the SMB defense with a fearless drive before leaving the ball to a wide open Christian Standhardinger for a short stab with four seconds left. “It was designed for him (Standhardinger) to be along the baseline and be in that opposite position but we’re not telling him (Brownlee) to drive and then look for him. That was really on Justin,” Cone commented on the game-winning play. “We have trust in him. Even the ones before that, it was basically the same play but he did in the right side and not in the left side, pump fake and fumbled it and it still went in,” he added. Already used to seeing Brownlee save the day for Ginebra for years now, Cone admitted that his import never ceased to amaze him every time he pulled off such plays through the pressure. “It was amazing and he struggled all game. We saw it and then (suddenly) he's Michael Jordan in the last two minutes, so it’s kinda typical of Justin. Like what we kinda expected from him,” added Cone. Brownlee's ability to make the game-winning play, may it be taking the final shot, or issuing the last pass that opened things up for his teammates, makes Brownlee different from your typical PBA import. “Justin is gonna make the play. I think the difference against the other imports is that he goes out to make the winning play, not the winning shot. Sometimes, it’s gonna be the winning shot but he’ll go out there and make the winning play. It can be a pass, it can be a screen, it can be a rebound but he’ll make the winning play,” said Cone.