Brownlee, Kings looking unstoppable
With its masterful conquest of powerhouse San Miguel Beer in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals, Ginebra San Miguel looks even more formidable when it shoots for a third straight Governors’ Cup championship which starts this Friday at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
The Gin Kings will take another shot at the season-ending tournament with the opposition again hard-pressed to come up with an import who could stop Justin Brownlee and contain a local squad starring seven-footer Greg Slaughter and Commissioner’s Cup Finals MVP Scottie Thompson.
The three Ginebra stalwarts struck hardest when the Kings dethroned the Beermen, four games to two, in their best-of-seven title series marked by five blowout wins, including Wednesday’s 93-77 clincher. Ginebra took the opener, 127-99, and SMB prevailed in the next two, 134-109, and 132-94. And then it was the Kings’ show from there.
Opening up with a league-matching 17-0 start, the Kings tied the series with a 130-100 rout then gutted out an 87-83 decision starring Thompson in the clutch for a 3-2 lead. Game 6 was an exciting match in the first half with SMB even taking a 33-23 lead before Ginebra moved within three at halftime, 35-38.
But in a turnaround nobody expected, SMB made only eight points in the third quarter and Ginebra went on to clinch the series. Coach Tim Cone said the explosive Ginebra finish did not detract from SMB’s stature as the best team in the league.
“For this night we are the best team,” said Cone, who nailed his record 21st title in 32nd finals despite a 1-5 start by the Kings.
“Tomorrow they are the best team again,” he added.
The loss was the first in seven title stints for SMB coach Leo Austria, who had no explanation for the sudden drop in form of his four crack starters who had given the Beermen an unprecedented four successive all-Filipino titles of their 26 overall crowns.
Only June Mar Fajardo played true to form befitting the Best Player of the Conference.
Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross did have their shining moments in Games 2 and 3, respectively, but they struggled when they were needed most along with Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos.
Nothing best illustrated their scoring woes than in Game 6 where Cabagnot made just six points, Santos five and Ross and Lassiter going zero.
Brownlee was earlier honored as Best Import of the tournament where teams can get even a 6-foot-10 reinforcement. Just short of the 6-5 limit for imports in the Governors’ Cup, Brownlee will be unstoppable again in the upcoming tournament as in the Commissioner’s Cup where his all-around prowess allowed Cone to become the first PBA coach to win at least three titles for three different teams. He has earlier won 13 titles for Alaska and four for San Mig Coffee.
