Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Justin Brownlee go at it during the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and TNT Tropang Giga. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—If there’s anything established about Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, it’s the fact that he loves the high level of competition.
Of course, with the interest of competition comes the dismay of losing.
So after Game 6 of the PBA Governors’ Finals, where TNT subdued the Gin Kings for good, Brownlee only had one answer when asked about wanting to run it back against counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson in the future.
READ: TNT repeats over Ginebra to retain its PBA Governors’ Cup crown
“Man I hope so,” said Brownlee, referring to a potential rematch with RHJ after their 95-85 loss at Araneta Coliseum on Friday.
“I gotta admit, they had some great imports in the past. Terrence Jones, Glen Rice was there before. They had some really good imports, but the way they played with RHJ, they’ve gotten more special with him. Lots of credit to him and what he has been doing with that team.”
Rondae Hollis Jefferson leads TNT Tropang Giga to another championship over Barangay Ginebra in PBA Governors’ Cup. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
In their final clash of the conference, Hollis-Jefferson got the best of Brownlee as he finished with a title-clinching double-double of 31 points, 16 rebounds plus eight assists and two steals to match.
Brownlee, on the other hand, announced his presence with 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal but it just wasn’t enough for the Gin Kings to force a do-or-die against coach Chot Reyes’ wards.
READ: PBA Finals: Justin Brownlee says RHJ as Best Import ‘well-deserved’
But while the idea of facing Hollis-Jefferson again in the future had Brownlee licking his chops, the Gilas naturalized player instead put a premium on going back to the Finals.
And should they reach the final phase of a conference, they’d love to do it against TNT once more.
You know, for good revenge.
“We definitely would love to get back to the Finals, and love to have a shot again at them [TNT]. We definitely still feel confident going up against any team in this league. But you know, it was just unfortunate tonight, or in this series,” Brownlee said.
“TNT, they got us. The better team won.”