Brownlee eyeing title No. 7,
Hollis-Jefferson maiden crown
GINEBRA import Justin Brownlee and TNT counterpart Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will go into the PBA Governors’ Cup title battle with contrasting missions.
Brownlee, already the winner of six titles, is going for No. 7 as he bids to move past Alaska great Sean Chambers for most crowns overall, while Hollis-Jefferson has yet to win a pro league diadem.
Who will prevail will be known after the Big Dance but the two reinforcements agreed this one is too close to call.
“I think this will be a great matchup. I’m not sure when he (Hollis-Jefferson) came in (to join TNT), but he’s been playing great, leading this team, putting up great numbers,” Brownlee said last Monday in the finals press conference.
“Of course, it’s not just myself containing him but coach Tim (Cone) will come up with a great game plan on the defensive side,” he added.
Hollis-Jefferson, tabbed 23rd overall in the NBA draft in 2015 who had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Portland Trail Blazers, vowed to do whatever it takes to guide the Tropang Giga to the Promised Land.
“I’m definitely passionate about it, extremely locked in. This is my dream my whole life, to win a pro (basketball) championship,” Hollis-Jefferson said.
“The work started when I was five years old, I feel like I’m well prepared, and the mindset has shaped me, and I’ll be ready for whatever is thrown at us.”
Game 1 of the race-to-4 series is set on Easter Sunday, April 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
TNT has won eight titles but has yet to rule the Third Conference.
Tropang Giga coach Jojo Lastimosa, a teammate of Chambers in the defunct Alaska franchise then coached by Cone, admitted that stopping Brownlee is easier said than done.
“I believe Justin hasn’t lost yet in this conference. Sean Chambers texted me. He told me, ‘You cannot make them win because Justin will be one up against me.’ That’s going to be hard to do,” he said. “I know this is going to be a big challenge for all of us and we need everybody to play really well to beat Ginebra.”
The likes of Hollis-Jefferson, Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Calvin Oftana, and Justin Chua are expected to carry the fight for TNT.
Ginebra is eyeing to hoist the second of three tiaras this season after the Kings bagged the last Commissioner’s Cup opposite foreign guest team Bay Area and their third straight diadem in the season-ending meet.
