By JONAS TERRADO
JUSTIN Brownlee may have been denied of another Best Import award but coach Tim Cone feels that there’s no reason for his Barangay Ginebra San Miguel reinforcement to prove himself.
“Even though he didn’t win the Best Import, he’s still gonna go down as one of the best import in PBA history,” Cone said after Brownlee went for 27 points in a 94-72 win that put Ginebra on the verge of capturing the PBA Governors’ Cup title.
Brownlee, who once won Best Import honors in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup, watched as the coliseum barker announced Allen Durham as the winner of the prestigious award given to the best foreign player of the tournament.
Durham had beaten Brownlee for the plum in 2016 and 2017, thus the latest result added more frustration among Ginebra fans who thought their beloved import was due to beat his Meralco counterpart.
Once the awarding ceremonies were done, Brownlee proceeded to rip the Bolts apart.
He hit 17 in the first half, 15 of which came in the second when Ginebra turned the game into a blowout, making jumpers and attacking the paint with impunity.
“They try to force me into doing certain things that I think that I’m comfortable of doing,” he said. “I just take my time to read the defense and just find the best option out there.”
Cone said that Brownlee’s play in Sunday’s Game 3 win left Meralco to make some adjustments that somehow gave Ginebra the advantage.
“I just think that he moved better than he has been in the series,” said Cone. “I think that the nine assists he got last game kinda loosened the defense a bit for him.
“When you make 9 or 10 assists, teams have to worry about staying home and getting on their man, and that opened up a few lanes for Justin to get to the rim,” he added.
Asked if losing the Best Import added fuel to the fire, Cone paid tribute to his import’s ability to step up, regardless if there he has individual awards to take home or not.
“I think subconsciously it was,” said Cone. “I wouldn’t say he would say that that’s the case. Now, he wouldn’t come out and say ‘Well, I’m upset that I lost the Best Import award and that’s why I played hard.’
“Justin’s not about awards, he’s about championships,” he added. “And that’s what we love about him so much that he really cares about winning for the team, not for himself. He’s really special that way.”
And true enough, Brownlee was diplomatic with the result, even if his supporters disagree.
“It would have been great to win it,” said Brownlee, perhaps the closest he was to admitting his desire to be recognized with the said award. “but I think Allen deserves it.
“Everytime he’s here in the Philippines, he always elevates his team,” added Brownlee.
What Brownlee can get is another championship.
A fourth title would make him the second-winningest import in PBA history, trailing the record of six pulled off by a former Cone protege and Alaska great Sean Chambers.
Should that occur, no one will probably argue Brownlee’s status as one the greats.
