Justin Brownlee was only five years old when Tony Harris put on a scoring spectacle in a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) finals game.
Thirty-three years later, it was the Barangay Ginebra resident import’s turn to showcase an offensive clinic that, unlike his predecessor, actually resulted in a crucial victory in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup championship series.
The 38-year-old Brownlee turned back the hands of time and played 51 and a half of quality minutes for a 54-point sizzler in a thrilling 100-95 Game 5 overtime win over defending champion TNT for a commanding 3-2 best-of-seven series lead on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Brownlee, who scored five of the Kings’ 11 points in the extension, shot 22-of-37 from the field and added 14 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block.
“I always try to remain or stay aggressive. I think it definitely is a balance where sometimes I try to get guys in rhythm and get them involved,” the four-time Best Import said.
“But I think as an import in this league, there are times where you kind of have to try to take over the game or just be aggressive.”
The naturalized player reached another career milestone with a personal-best scoring — a feat that the league last saw in the finals of the 1993 Governors’ Cup.
Harris finished with the same output for Swift in a sorry 110-124 overtime loss in Game 3 of the finals series against the Kenny Travis-led San Miguel Beer back on 10 December 1993. The Beermen would eventually beat Harris and the Mighty Meat Hotdogs in five games.
Brownlee’s heroics in Ginebra’s crucial rally in the fourth period and overtime pushed the Kings within just a win to end a three-year title drought.
The Ginebra reinforcement anchored the team’s comeback from 80-87 down with less than four minutes left in regulation by scoring nine straight points to give the Kings a two-point lead with 1:16 remaining.
Brownlee scored Ginebra’s first five points, including a go-ahead three-point play for a 94-92 advantage with 2:39 left in overtime before Troy Rosario and RJ Abarrientos took care of the rest.
“I think there were some moments in the game where I felt like I just had to be what an import is in this league,” Brownlee said.
Brownlee, however, is not letting personal achievements blind him from looking at the bigger picture.
“I guess I don’t want to feel too good about it now. I don’t think it will mean much if you don’t win the championship,” he said.