By REYNALD MAGALLON
Justin Brownlee got his shot at becoming the most successful PBA import of all-time – one with the most number of championships.
But just like the last time, he got denied. And it is once again at the hands of Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and TNT.
After becoming undefeated through his first six trips to the finals with Barangay Ginebra, Brownlee has now lost the last two and all against Hollis-Jefferson who has been proving to be one of the most talented imports to ever graced the PBA floor.
A question has been begging to be asked: Has Hollis-Jefferson become Brownlee’s kryptonite?
Maybe. Or Maybe not, since Brownlee has also broken Hollis-Jefferson’s heart back in the Asian Games. But one thing’s certain though, the former NBA player looked like a tailor fit for TNT and Brownlee definitely agreed.
“Man, he’s good. He’s good. I got to give him a lot of credit. He fit that team very well. He definitely elevated them and they played better with him. I have to admit,” Brownlee said of Hollis-Jefferson, now a two-time Best Import as well in the Governors’ Cup.
“They’ve got some great imports in the past, Terrence Jones, Glenn Rice was there before, they’ve got some really good imports but with the way they play with RHJ, they got something special in him, a lot of credit to him and what he’s doing on that team,” he added.
Hollis-Jefferson did show that he was one of the greatest imports to ever don the TNT jersey particularly in the Finals where he played most of the games in no-relief effort.
And he’s been doing it on both ends of the floor, scoring, rebounding, facilitating while also guarding the Ginebra’s best offensive player in any game day, may it be Brownlee or Japeth Aguilar or even Scottie Thompson or RJ Abarrientos.
He capped the Finals brilliance by flirting with a triple-double of 31 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in the title clinching 95-85 win in Game 6.
Brownlee, in contrast, has not been the same Brownlee in the Finals. He was limited to his PBA low of eight points in Game 5 and was virtually a non-factor for the Kings in the huge fourth quarter collapse in Game 6 where the team could only muster 11 points.
And the three-time best import gave a lot of credit to TNT’s top notch defense.
“I guess just their team defense. I’ve got to admit, it’s tough. They had a really good game plan. They executed it really well by playing me a certain way, so I’ve got to give a lot of credit to them,” said Brownlee who had 16 points.
“I would say for myself too I was a little off my game. I feel like I’ve gotten some shots that I can normally make but I didn’t connect so it was definitely a mixture of me not being able to get into a rhythm, and their defense not allowing me to get into a rhythm,” he added.
