By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
You don’t need to dial 911 when emergency strikes.
All you have to do is press 3 and 2, the jersey digits printed on the back of no other than Justin Brownlee.
During the crucial Game 2 of the PBA quarterfinals, Brownlee weaved his magic once again after sinking the game-winning three-pointer to fend off the Meralco Bolts, 104-103, steering the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to a commanding 2-0 lead on September 28, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
After a completed defensive stop, the Gin Kings still had 20 seconds left to generate a shot as they trailed the game, 101-103.
As soon as they crossed half court, all the other four Ginebra players on the floor switched to the left side to give space for Brownlee who took Allen Durham in an isolation.
Brownlee began to make his move with 14 seconds remaining and made a quick in-and-out dribble that took out Durham’s balance.
In the split second he felt little separation, Brownlee stepped back at the top of the key’s rainbow area and hoisted a long trifecta that proved to be the game-winner as the three-pointer swished in that gave the Gin Kings back the lead.
Meralco quickly called a timeout and had enough time for the final shot of the game, but their mapped-out offensive play for Durham was heavily contested by Brownlee’s swarming defense.
Brownlee capped off his massive performance with 39 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, helping Ginebra move a win away from clinching the PBA Governor’s Cup semifinal sit.
It was a flawless start for the Gin Kings as their two-way efficiency helped them establish a 13-point lead, backstopped by their offensive rebounding that turned into second-chance points.
However, the Bolts bounced back in the second half as they erased their double-digit deficit courtesy of a waxing-hot Durham who did it all for Meralco.
Unfortunately for Meralco, the Brownlee effect once again lifted the Gin Kings out of trouble, making the biggest plays in the final three minutes of the ball game.
Aside from cashing in the biggest shot of the game, Brownlee also drilled two clutch perimeter jumpers and recorded the two most important blocks against Durham.
“He was amazing. We’ve seen so many amazing games of Justin winning games down the stretch, and this is just another one of them added to the list. But maybe, a top four, or five,” said Ginebra head coach Tim Cone after witnessing another Brownlee masterpiece.
