PBA: Justin Brownlee, Ginebra not surprised by tough Meralco act

Justin Brownlee and Akil Mitchell jostle for position during a PBA COmmissioner’s Cup quarterfinals game between Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and Meralco Bolts. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Meralco and  Barangay Ginebra going at it in another grindout battle in the PBA playoffs is nothing new.

Ceertainly not for longtime Gin Kings import Justin Brownlee.

On Friday at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the Bolts subdued Ginebra, 108-104, and brought the best-of-three series to sudden death for a spot in the semifinals.

SCHEDULE: 2024-2025 PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals

The Gin Kings would’ve liked to close out the series which they initially led, 1-0, but if you ask Brownlee, he already saw Meralco’s fight back from a mile away.

“I think, before this series even started, we already expected to go the distance in this best-of-three. Of course, we wanted to close it out but for years now, Meralco’s been a tough and good team,” said Ginebra’s longtime import.

“They did a lot of things that got us out of rhythm.”

READ: PBA: Justin Brownlee likens Akil Mitchell to former Meralco rival

Determined to move on to the semis, the Gilas Pilipinas’ naturalized player scored 36 points plus six rebounds and four assists to match.

However, his efforts were not enough as the Bolts relied on the combined efforts of Chris Newsome, Cliff Hodge and surprise spark plug Jansen Rios.

Newsome, Hodge and Rios finished with 24, 17 and 15 points, respectively to have Meralco live another day.

With the series coming to a head on Sunday at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo, Brownlee expressed that they, as a squad, need to know how they can stop a team like Meralco.

“They’ve been doing something that we have to figure out as a team and I hope we can figure out in Game 3. I hope we get some better rhythm to the game too,” he said.