Gin Kings gear up for the kill vs RoS
Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel are ready to deliver the killing blow at 7 p.m. tonight while Rain or Shine will fight tooth and nail to force a deciding match when they collide in Game 4 of their best-of-five semifinals showdown in Season 43 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
“I think we can do it, and I think we can win and close it on Game 4,” said Brownlee, who posted 44 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals in Ginebra’s 75-72 win in Game 3. “We know it is not going to be so easy just like what Rain or Shine showed tonight. They are very resilient and they have a lot of guy who know how to win.”
Brownlee said he managed to draw pure aggression to deliver an explosive performance in Game 3.
Justin Brownlee of Ginebra (32) fires a jump shot against Chris Tiu (17) of Rain or Shine in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinals series in Season 43 PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO
“Definitely unexpected. But I mean whenever you know a player to get it going like tonight, I just definitely want to keep staying aggressive and I felt so good. I want to stay aggressive so I helped my team,” added Brownlee, who shot 14-of-19 from the field including a 6-of-8 shooting beyond the three-point zone.
A victory tonight will lead Ginebra to its fourth Commissioner’s Cup finals appearance and 25th overall.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone warned his wards that nothing is over until it’s over.
“We just have to respond better in Game 4. We are just very fortunate that James Yap didn’t make that shots,” said Cone, referring to Yap’s failed attempts beyond the arc twice before the buzzer sounded. “We are a win a way but obviously we’re coming away from this game with a lot of concerns.”
“I keep saying it, and I’m not sure if everybody believes me, but there is an absolute reason that they (Rain or Shine) are the No. 1 seed. They played down the stretch very well. They are a veteran team with James Yap, Gabe Norwood, Raymund Almazan and Beau Belga.”
Cone also pointed at Rain or Shine’s Reggie Johnson’ smart game.
“Looking at that, we are happy that we’re up by 2-1,” he added.
Japeth Aguilar, who just recovered from an Achilles tendon injury saw action for couple of few minutes in Game 3.
Meanwhile, Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia is determined to force a do-or-die Game 5.
“We just have to focus on what we did in the second half against Ginebra. I told them it was a tale of two halves—first was with Ginebra and second was ours, but we just came up short in the endgame. We still have to find ways to win,” Garcia added.
“It’s like being in a twice-to-beat, so we’ll just take it one game at a time and do our best in Game 4 so there will be a Game 5.”
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