Ginebra brings the Dragons to their knees in Game 7

Barangay Ginebra just added to the annual spectacle that first happened in 2016, with the Gin Kings winning another PBA championship for a crowd of loyal fans.

And on Sunday night, before a crowd of 54,589 at the Cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, the Gin Kings may have pulled off their biggest win yet by defeating the Bay Area Dragons 114-99 to claim the Commissioner’s Cup trophy. .

In slaying the Dragons, Ginebra won a series that was a pseudo-continental battle between the country’s most popular team and a foreign team from Hong Kong that the PBA welcomed as guests for the midseason tournament.

“We were surprised at how well we played and were able to handle Bay Area,” Ginebra coach Tim Cone said. “The only explanation I can give is that the crowd really lifted us to the performance.”

It’s Ginebra’s sixth title in nine import-laced conferences with Justin Brownlee, who was first brought to Manila by Cone as a necessity, but has turned out to be the cornerstone of his beloved team’s excellent run.

“The energy from the crowd really lifted us to a level I couldn’t reach,” added Cone, who extended his title streak to 25.

Brownlee, whose journey to become a Filipino ended when President Marcos signed his naturalization into law last week, did as he has done many times in the past when Ginebra put on a show that wowed the Bay Area.

Epic doesn’t match

He finished with 34 points after going 14 of 22 from the field as Brownlee added to his perfect batting average on the PBA’s biggest stage. They were on fire right from the start as Ginebra leaned on a merciless second quarter to turn what appeared to be an exciting match before tipoff into an epic mismatch.

Unlike in Game 6 when Brownlee was forced to carry Ginebra on his shoulders before falling short in his first chance at the crown, the Best Import winner got plenty of help.

Scottie Thompson, unsung hero and Honda-PBA Press Corps Finals Most Valuable Player Christian Standhardinger, Jamie Malonzo and Japeth Aguilar were among the heroes in the victory that gave Cone his seventh title as Ginebra coach.

Ginebra led, 61-39, at the half, practically ending any chance of the Bay Area becoming only the second foreign team to win the PBA conference.

“We talked about it from the beginning of the series that we played more than just for ourselves, we played more than just for Ginebra and we played more for the Ginebra fans,” Cone said. “We play for fans all over the country and we play for the league.”

Second all-time

“That’s definitely on our minds going into this series. Like I said, we’re angry that we didn’t get a Game 6 and that anger is in this game,” Cone added.

That status was evident when fans from all walks of life braved the long, rainy afternoon journey to witness the No. 1 title.

Only their other sister team, San Miguel Beer, has more championships with 28.

It was a Game 7 to remember for Ginebra, while it was a rubber game to forget for Bay Area.

The Bay Area shooting was in the beginning-perhaps overwhelmed by the atmosphere of playing in a larger facility packed by a faithful throng that tightened the Dragons endlessly-contributing to the slow start and dominance of Ginebra in the rubber match.

Even Game 6 hero Myles Powell had some rough times before getting into a rhythm.

At that time, however, the Dragons were far behind and finally settled for the runner-up trophy-and respect the Filipino cage fans who saw a different brand of basketball throughout the participation of the East Asian Super League outfit that began in September. INQ

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