PBA Finals: Tim Cone takes responsibility for Justin Brownlee showing

Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee against TNT defenders in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Ginebra coach Tim Cone took all the blame after the Gin Kings fell short in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals at the hands of TNT.

In particular, Cone took responsibility for Justin Brownlee performance in the past two games against Tropang Giga, which ultimately sealed the deal for TNT.

READ: TNT repeats over Ginebra to retain its PBA Governors’ Cup crown

“He’s (Brownlee) not Superman. If he’s not playing well, that’s on me,” said Cone after their 95-85 loss in Game 6 at Araneta Coliseum on Friday.

“I had to figure out a way to get him open, get him free, get him shots and I wasn’t able to do that.”

In TNT’s championship-winning game on Friday, Brownlee was limited to just 16 points and six rebounds on 45 minutes of action.

READ: PBA Finals rematch with RHJ? Justin Brownlee certainly hopes so

In the previous game, Brownlee was held to his worst outing of the import-laden conference where the Gin Kings lost, 99-72, finishing just eight points on a lowly 23.1 percent shooting clip in just 31 minutes.

Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings coach Tim Cone during the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Game 6. TNT won the championship. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

After a grueling Governors’ Cup campaign, Brownlee’s participation in the Commissioner’s Cup isn’t a lock, especially with Gilas Pilipinas duties coming up.

The naturalized center and Gilas will compete in the second window of the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers in two weeks.

READ: RJ Abarrientos stays positive after Ginebra’s PBA Finals loss

“If he wants to be. 100% yes if he wants to be. The question is if he’ll want to be,” said Cone.

“He’s a little worn down, he’s talking about maybe taking the conference off, we’ll see. Give him a week or two to rest and maybe he’ll change his tune. Right now, he’s going to turn around for a week and start practicing with Gilas,” added the top coach.

As far as Cone and the management are concerned, though, they’re not in any process of looking for a replacement for the six-time PBA champion import.

“It’s really going to be on him. It’s his choice. We’re not going to make that decision for him. He’s going to decide if he wants to play or not. At this point, we are not looking, at all, for a backup. We don’t have anybody in mind.”