SUDDENLY carrying a big weight in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals is Justin Brownlee being game-time decision for Game 4 Friday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
Of course, the balance will tilt heavily on TNT Tropang Giga's favor if Brownlee wouldn't be okay and wouldn't be able to play as Barangay Ginebra tries to fight back from their Game 3 defeat.
"Justin provides a lot of stuff for us, not just on offense, but on defense. A big part of our system revolves around Justin," said Ginebra assistant coach Richard del Rosario of the gap they have to deal with in Brownlee's absence.
Brownlee missed the last 18 minutes of their 87-85 loss Wednesday night at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig as he ended up with a fractured thumb in a dive for a loose ball.
The big question for Game 4 that is to tip off at 7:35 p.m. - shortly after the coronation of the Best Import and the Best Player of the Conference - is the readiness of the prized Gin Kings reinforcement.
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For the Tropang Giga, it's about the own readiness facing a Ginebra team with or without Brownlee.
"Nakita niyo naman how strong that team is. Without Justin, somebody else is going to step up," said TNT coach Chot Reyes.
"I told the players we're going to see the best of Ginebra even without Justin, we have to be at our best. I reminded them how strong and deep that team is. And when they went up by three, we didn't panic and that's the turning point," Reyes said on their Game 3 escape that sent them 2-1 up in the series.
The Gin Kings did put up a whale of a fight even on the exit of Brownlee, with the Tropang Giga merely escaping through on clutch hits by Rey Nambatac and Glen Khobuntin at the finish.
Surely, it could've been a different story with Brownlee there in the battle - the very import on the saddle in the Kings' six championships in PBA reinforced tourneys since 2016.
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The Kings, however, can't be expected to be an easy prey playing all-Filipino.
Both coaches Tim Cone and Reyes are sure about that.(SB)
