EVEN Tim Cone, the pro league’s winningest coach, gets a little bit anxious in do-or-die games.
But when the going got tough, Cone’s Ginebra star import Justin Brownlee stepped up to save the day for the Kings against the gritty Meralco Bolts last Sunday night.
“It was a little scary there in the beginning. They (Bolts) really handled us well but I thought we were a little tight to start the game. We missed some easy shots that we normally would have made and that allowed them to stretch their lead and they came down and made three-point shots,” Cone said. “So it was a little scary there in the beginning but I felt we were still playing well. We were playing hard, we were playing well on defense, just that we weren’t making some of the shots that we should have made and then that would turn around.
“We just needed a spark and playoff Justin showed up and gave us that spark and that was really when we got back to one point at halftime I, you know, I think we were all confident that we could win this game,” he added.
Cone spoke after his No. 4 charges held off the fifth-ranked Bolts 94-87 in their knockout match in the quarterfinals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
The hard-earned triumph in the highly emotional Game 3 of the series enabled Ginebra to gain a semifinal slot opposite eliminations pacesetter NorthPort.
TNT will face Rain or Shine in the other best-of-7 semis showdown in the mid-season tourney.
The PBA will take a 16-day break and will start the semis on Feb. 26 to give way to Gilas Pilipinas’ campaign in the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
Brownlee sparkled with game-highs of 25 points and 10 rebounds, on top of seven assists for the Kings while Stephen Holt chimed in 17 markers, five boards, and two dimes.
RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario also had 16 and 12 points, respectively for Ginebra.
Cone and Brownlee showed Meralco how it’s done. The Batang Pier are next.
“They had some really great game plans coming in and so it’s just a really well-coached side from them,” Cone said. “Really impressed by that by their coaching group. Now I guess we can turn our sights to Northport.”
