Brownlee’s childhood dream comes true with Ginebra game-winner

MANILA, Philippines – Like every other kid who played basketball, Justin Brownlee dreamed of a moment.

The ball in his hands, the final seconds ticking away as he dribbles and finds his position, game on the line and himself, courageously taking the shot.

Brownlee’s old dream came true Wednesday, October 19, when he swished in the long game-winning 3-pointer at the final buzzer that not only won Barangay Ginebra Game 6 of the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, but also ended an 8-year title drought.

“That’s the thing, when you’re a kid, you know, you have the ball in your hand and count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and you shoot it,” the American import recalled the daydreams of his boyhood.

“I just never, I always dreamed and imagined it. I couldn’t imagine it the way it happened.”

Brownlee’s dream-come-true moment was certainly special.

With the game tied at 88, the clock reading 5.5 seconds, and thousands of fans on their feet with their cellphone flashlights raised in the air, he knew he had to make the shot.

“I was just focusing on makng the shot,” he shared what was going through his head in those tense last 5 seconds of Game 6.

 “A lot of people, the fans, my teammates, my family depended on me to make that shot and before the play happened I thought about the fans and everybody who supported Ginebra. I’m just very blessed and happy it went in.”

Watch the full final possession with Justin Brownlee’s game-winning 3-pointer! Ginebra is champion again! #PBAFinals pic.twitter.com/3RbIwjgNBf

— Jane Bracher (@janebracher) October 19, 2016

Brownlee pulled up from way beyond the arc amid the outstretched arms of Best Import Allen Durham. As soon as the ball met the bottom of the net the Smart Araneta Coliseum erupted, and Brownlee found himself running down the court and engulfed by his ecstatic teammates.

“I was just very excited I couldn’t hold it in,” he said after the 91-88 win.

Brownlee finished with a game-high 31 points on top of 9 rebounds and 4 assists. He was also responsible for banking in the fadeaway jumper over Durham that tied the game at 88 with 27.3 seconds left to play.

He was left emotional on the court as the confetti fell. He hugged his family and his teammates.

“Just all the hard work because not a lot of people see all the hard work in practice,” he said.

Brownlee’s big shot was the fitting end to a tightly contested series that turned in Game 4, when veterans Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa sparked the Gin Kings and they never dropped a game from then on.

“It was the point in the series when Mark and Jayjay, when they had their moment, it was a huge turning point for us because the series could’ve went either way,” Brownlee said.

“I give those two a lot of credit for what they did in their game and I honestly feel that was the turning point.”

Brownlee was originally supposed to serve as a temporary substitute to Paul Harris, who injured his thumb early in the conference. He was willing to step aside once Harris returned after 4 weeks but Brownlee established a flow with Ginebra and the partnership went all the way.

Brownlee normed 28.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.8 steals, and 1.2 steals in 22 games for the Gin Kings and finished second in the Best Import race. – Rappler.com