Expect a well-known hard-fought encounter when Barangay Ginebra and Meralco collide within the quarterfinals. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Barangay Ginebra and Meralco have figured in thrilling encounters within the championship series and early playoff meetings previously. So count on the one which unfurls this week to be no different, in line with Justin Brownlee.
“Everybody knows we’ve got a history with Meralco,” the Gin Kings ace told reporters with a smile following a 103-99 additional time loss to NLEX on Sunday night.
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“They’ve gotten higher. They usually’re fresh off a championship. We all know they’re going to be tough. And that’s nothing recent about Meralco—they’re all the time tough on the defensive end,” he added.
Barangay Ginebra has won six playoff meetings—including 4 within the Finals—against Meralco. The gang darlings have lost the last two, including the recent Philippine Cup semifinal clash that ultimately resulted in the Bolts capturing their first-ever PBA crown.
The 2 clubs tangle in a best-of-five quarterfinals series starting this week, with Brownlee knowing all too well that the Bolts intend to maintain the trend stepping into their favor, especially with the returning Allen Durham in tow.
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“With Durham as their import, we all know they’re gonna be ready (for us),” he said. “Hopefully we could get ourselves ready for those guys. I do know coach Tim (Cone) has an excellent plan for us to prepare.”
“It’s going to be a fun matchup. It’s going to be competitive. I’m ready for it, and I do know the fellows, the entire team, and the coaching staff will likely be ready as well,” he said.
In a Monday game, Converge held off Magnolia, 89-82, to forge a quarterfinal showdown with the dynastic San Miguel Beer. Magnolia will tackle a rejuvenated Rain or Shine crew wanting to finally prove that their time-built roster is able to winning a PBA title.
‘Older now’
The primary time Brownlee won a title with Barangay Ginebra was in the course of the 2016 Governors’ Cup, where he hit the buzzer-beating triple over Durham to place the series to bed in six games. The Gin Kings went on to win the subsequent three title showdowns, with the pair of prolific imports last battling within the 2019 Governors’ Cup, just months before the pandemic struck.
“Allen … after all we’re older now,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s going to be a giant difference. But he’s been playing great this conference. And clearly they’ve been having some success. They finished No. 2 (of their group), right?”
“This Meralco team has modified rather a lot, and this Ginebra team has modified rather a lot. However the mentalities are going to be the identical. For us it’s going to be the NSD (never-say-die)-type of attitude, just attempting to do the whole lot we are able to to win the sport,” Brownlee added.
“I definitely think it’s going to be a defensive series. Which team can provide you with the higher defensive schemes, or whoever could play higher defensively, I believe, will come out on top of the series,” he added. “Hopefully, we are able to lock down on defense and be on point.” INQ
