Brownlee keeping fingers crossed

Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra will try to write a different story this time as they get a crack at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup title against tough rival TNT.

The Kings face the Tropang Giga led by talented import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for a second straight best-of-seven championship series showdown this season.

Ginebra bowed to TNT in the season-opening Governors’ Cup in a rematch of the 2023 edition’s finale also ruled by the Tropang Giga.

Brownlee hopes the Kings will get their desired result in a third meeting.

“Hopefully, you know what they say, third time’s the charm,” the three-time Best Import winner said.

Game 1 of the finals is set on 14 March at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Kings barged into the championship round after a 126-99 rout of top-seeded NorthPort in Game 5 last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, paving the way for an explosive clash with the second-seeded Tropang Giga.

While Ginebra cruised past the Batang Pier, except for a hiccup in Game 4, Brownlee braces for a challenging series against a team he hasn’t beaten in a championship series with Hollis-Jefferson as reinforcement.

“It’s gonna be a hard-fought battle for us. They’ve been having our number. They’ve been playing well in the last two finals (against us). Hopefully, we could just get in there and change the stuff around and have a different outcome than the past two,” he said.

Ginebra yielded to TNT in six games in their previous two finals series. The Kings are coming into the series with a chip on their shoulders after suffering an 86-91 defeat against the Tropang Giga in the elimination round.