PBA Commissioner’s Cup: Brownlee powers Ginebra to finals victory as Bay Area Dragons run out of steam
- Brownlee drops 34 points in dominating performance as Philippines side take Game 7 114-99 to seal title
- The Dragons had been bidding to be come just the second foreign team to win a PBA conference
The Bay Area Dragons eventually ran out of steam in the PBA Commissioner’s Cu finals, the same could not be said of a Justin Brownlee-fuelled Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Playing before a Philippines record-breaking crowd of 54,589, the power forward dropped a game-high 34 points to go with his eight rebounds and 12 assists in a dominating 114-99 Game 7 win on Sunday at Philippine Arena.
Victory was Brownlee’s sixth title with Ginebra, and extended head coach Tim Cone’s historic run of championships to 25.
After forcing a decisive Game 7, the Dragons had been bidding to become only the second foreign team to win a PBA conference, and Cone said that had driven his side on Sunday.
“We talked about it from the beginning of the series that we were playing more than just for ourselves, we were playing for more than just Ginebra and we were playing for more than just Ginebra fans,” the head coach said. “We were playing for fans around the country and we were playing for the league itself.”
That energy showed itself in Ginebra’s intense focus right from tip-off and they shut down American import Myles Powell in the first half to set the tone for the rout early on. Powell eventually had 29 points.
A 22-point cushion at half-time grew to a 28-point lead early in the third quarter, and that comfortable lead remained intact despite a late Dragons attempt at a comeback.
Brownlee, who was 14-of-22 from the field, was well supported by Scottie Thompson, who had 18 points and nine rebounds to his name.
