Life is just too tough for Ginebra without Justin Brownlee.
Christian Standhardinger lamented such after the Barangay lost their resident import during the third quarter of its Game 5 encounter versus TNT in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. The team eventually lost by way of a 104-95 decision.
“It was very tough. Very tough,” the reigning Best Player of the Conference said moments after the defeat at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Very, very tough. We needed him. I mean, this is not a secret.”
Brownlee suffered from severe food poisoning literally hours before the crucial match, although he still made it a point to show up and play to help the Kings gain the series lead as both sides were at a 2-2 stalemate.
The three-time Best Import dropped 14 points in the first half alone, along with four rebounds, a steal, and a block each, but could no longer push himself any further. He ultimately left the game for good just minutes into the second half and was eventually sent to the hospital.
His absence reduced the Barangay to an all-Filipino unit, and the 15-point lead they established with their resident reinforcement during the second period slowly went away as the Tropang Giga found their groove back.
They did manage to chop the deficit to just a point twice in the game’s final minutes thanks to Nards Pinto, but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Co. took the wind out of their sails on the way to seizing the 3-2 lead.
(C) PBA Images
“It’s just tough without Brownlee,” Standhardinger said.
The Filipino-German workhorse himself tried to shoulder the responsibilities Brownlee had left with his exit, as evidenced by his numbers of 29 points and 13 rebounds, together with four assists, a steal, and a block in 46 minutes.
But then, he could only do so much. Their attempt to save the game sans Brownlee took its toll on the entire squad, as they all emerged from the dugout visibly worn out — brought about as well by their foes’ pace, perhaps.
Standhardinger spoke to reporters inside the locker room while receiving IV fluids as part of his postgame recovery. But the 33-year-old refused to use fatigue as an excuse for it comes with the rigors of a Finals series.
“Of course, I’m a bit tired. I think that’s normal, though, in a Finals series,” he said. “You’re gonna get tired, especially now where Japeth, you know, we’re not sharing that many minutes with Japeth [Aguilar] because he’s still recovering.
“So, I’m playing a lot more minutes, and obviously if it’s so short after each other [day] it’s something. But nothing that I didn’t work through before. This stuff doesn’t matter if you’re in the Finals series and so close to the big goal.”
All their focus now is on recovering for Game 6 on Friday. They’re hoping, too, that Brownlee could recover in time.
“If we can get him back for the next game, that will help a lot,” he said. “Just trying to focus on the recovery.
“We need to recover and give it our absolute all in the next game and hope that we can get the victory and get to Game Seven.”
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The 2023 PBA Governors Cup Finals is live-streamed on SMART Sports.
