Justin Brownlee. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Justin Brownlee felt that the Ginebra players were justified for not calling a timeout in the last 15 seconds of Game 4 on Friday.
“I think we’re in the heat of the moment. We see we had the opportunity where we could score. I thought we had some good looks. We just didn’t knock them down,” he said.
The Gin Kings had five chances to sue for time as coach Tim Cone and LA Tenorio desperately tried to get the attention of of the players on the floor to call a timeout.
But with adrenaline running high, the players waved off the instruction and found a cutting Brownlee in the final seconds. However, the reinforcement’s potential game-tying shot fell way short as time expired, handing Meralco the 85-83 victory to even the 2017 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at two games each.
“Of course, we’ve wanted to get a timeout and drop a designed play for that type of situation, but I think we got a couple of good looks but we just didn’t convert. They got some good looks as well, but they converted,” he said.
With the best-of-seven series now a virtual best-of-three, Brownlee noted that from this point forward, it’s a matter of “who wants it more.”
“They’re a tough team and we’re a tough team, so every game is going to be a 50-50 game. Who wants it more will come out on top. The rest of the games will probably come down to the wire, so we got to finish the game strong,” he said.
Brownlee also said that though playing in front of a mammoth crowd inside Philippine Arena will be quite an experience, the Gin Kings need to calm themselves down and play to their potential.
“From what I’ve heard, it’s the biggest indoor arena in the world. I’ve never played in anything like that, so it’s definitely going to be exciting for me,” he said. “But we just got to look at it like a same game, go out there and play our best.”
Game 5 is on Sunday at the massive Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.