Barangay Ginebra passed back-to-back major tests against grand slam-seeking San Miguel and Magnolia and the Gin Kings' do-it-all import Justin Brownlee said this should serve the crowd darlings well moving forward in the highly-competitive PBA Governors' Cup.
Brownlee and the Gin Kings took on the Beermen and the Hotshots in the heels of heartbreakers to Phoenix Pulse (101-103) and NLEX (111-113 in overtime in Dubai). Coach Tim Cone's charges were more than up to the challenge, outduelling SMB last Oct. 13, 129-124, and following this up with a 105-83 romp of the Hotshots last Sunday.
"I'm hoping it gives us a lot confidence. You know, San Miguel, from what I heard, is one of the greatest teams this league has ever had so just beating them, and then beating the defending champion this conference (Magnolia) hopefully gives us a lot of confidence, boost the morale up because losing against NLEX and Phoenix, we're definitely down about that but I think the team showed great courage and they bounced back," said Brownlee.
The twin victories enabled the Gin Kings to climb to fifth spot in the standings at 3-2, just behind fourth-running Meralco Bolts (4-2).
"There's a lot of good teams, a lot of good imports so if we can stay in the Top 4, it will definitely be a little easier road to what we're trying to achieve," said the Ginebra resident import.
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"We know every game's going to be tough, it's not gonna be easy, so we'll just try to do whatever we can to get into the Top 4," he added
Brownlee accounted for 27 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in the rout of Magnolia, firing 12 markers in the second half where the Gin Kings outscored the Hotshots, 60-39, to clear the way for the comprehensive win.
The Ginebra reinforcement came one rebound shy of registering a third straight triple-double performance but won't lose sleep over this.
"Man, wish I could've gotten that but we got the win so that's the main thing. I'm just happy we got the win," he said.
"This win's definitely huge for us as we try to create some momentum going forward," said Brownlee, whose team is bracing for next opponents Rain or Shine on Saturday, Blackwater on Oct. 30 and powerhouse TNT KaTropa on Nov. 8. (OL)
