EXPECT Justine Brownlee to play with fire in his eyes when Barangay Ginebra faces Meralco in the third installment of their PBA Governors Cup finals showdown.
The high-scoring import admitted feeling disappointed after the Kings failed to advance in the championship round last season when they were ambushed in the semifinals by Romeo Travis and the Magnolia Hotshots.
That in effect, ended the team's bid to win the season-ending conference a third straight time.
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This year, the 31-year-old Brownlee is eyeing no less than a redemption.
"Super motivated," he said as the Kings booked a third Governors Cup finals stint in the last four seasons. "Wish we had that three-peat last year but unfortunately we came up short.
"It's feels good to be in the finals, but we know that at this point we're not satisfied. And we want to feel that greatest feeling."
The Kings are eyeing to beat the Bolts for the third time after beating them in back-to-back fashion during the 2016 and 2017 finals, respectively.
But Brownlee has enough respect for Meralco to downplay its chance of winning a first ever franchise title.
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"We've met them in the finals twice already so we know that if we play them, they're going to be great as well," said the soft-spoken former Best Import.
The long holiday break is more of a concern for Brownlee.
After a two-week break to give way to the country's hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the conference resumed for the semifinals phase.
Shortly after, the league took another two-week break for the Christmas and New Year celebration prior to the start of the finals on Jan. 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"It's kind of tricky because you don't want to get out of shape too much and you want to stay focus and locked in, it's the finals," Brownlee pointed out. "I don't think we ever have done this, had an extended break in the semis and now in the finals.
"So we just want to try to stay focus and not lose the mentality that we have right now," said Brownlee of the Kings, who dispatched the NorthPort Batang Pier in four games to clinch a finals berth.(RG)
