Best import Justin Brownlee and Best Player of the Conference Scottie Thompson, both from Barangay Ginebra, during the awarding ceremony. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines — Ginebra coach Tim Cone lauded Justin Brownlee and Scottie Thompson for staying focused in the Gin Kings bid to equalize the Finals series against Meralco on the same night the pair bagged the top individual awards of the PBA Governors’ Cup.
After the two raised the Best Player of the Conference and Best Import awards, Thompson and Brownlee combined for 54 points to lead Ginebra past Meralco, 95-84, that tied the championship series to 2-2 on Holy Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Justin is doing Justin things and Scottie is doing Scottie things. The value that they bring to the all-around game is amazing,” said Cone
“We’ve all seen this over the years, when the players get the best player award that motivates the other team and they end up losing the game. But Scottie and Justin really wanted to prove that they deserve their awards tonight and they really stepped up and their teammates stepped up for them as well and I thought that was nice,” he added.
Thompson didn’t let his first Best Player of the Conference award get to him especially with Ginebra in danger of falling into a dangerous two-game deficit in the best-of-seven finals.
“I’m really thankful for this award. But this wasn’t the team’s goal, our goal is in the Finals. These awards are extra for us, especially for the team. I didn’t think of the awarding ceremony, I remained focused on the game,” he said.
Besides the 27-point apiece for the first BPC-Best Import teammates since TNT’s Jayson Castor and Terrence Jones in the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup for TNT, Brownlee grabbed 18 rebounds on top of seven assists, three steals and two blocks as Thompson added four boards and four dimes.
‘REWARD FOR ALL-AROUND GAME’
Cone said their all-around play just proved that they were deserving of their awards, especially seeing the impact they bring to their team.
“The thing that makes me proud of Scottie is the people are rewarding him not just for being a score. They are rewarding him for his all around game, that includes his defense, obviously his rebounding, his ability to keep his teammates involved and make great passes. He’s a threat in and out,” Cone said.
“It’s really the reward for an all-around game, not just one guy who shoots a lot and scores a lot of points. I don’t think there’s any doubt that Scottie is the premier all-around player in the league at this point. He plays both sides of the ball and he can do all those things”
The multi-titled PBA coach also praised Brownlee’s all-around game after winning his second Best Import award, making him the only 10th reinforcement to do so.
“The same is true for Justine. As much as he is a great scorer he’s still a great all-around player as well. I just like it when all-around players are rewarded. two-way players, guys that do multiple things. That makes me very proud,” Cone said.