Brownlee vows to push through while battling with fatigue

(UPDATE) BARANGAY Ginebra resident import Justin Brownlee admitted they can't think about fatigue at this point of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup Finals.

The Gin Kings gutted out a defense-oriented 71-70 Game 2 win over the TNT Tropang Giga, thanks to Brownlee's late-game heroics that saw him score his team's last four points.

Ginebra avoided going down to a 0-2 hole, and instead, evened the best-of-seven championship series at one win apiece.

The 36-year-old Brownlee played a near no-relief job of close to 46 minutes, and he delivered just as he has been known for in the past, accounting for half of Ginebra's total Game 2 output after finishing with 35 points, to go along with 11 rebounds.

"Definitely we feel good about the win tonight and tying the series, but still there's no satisfaction right now," Brownlee said during the post-game presser.

Brownlee, who battled with asthma days before the start of the title series, admitted they can't be satisfied with just tying the series against the same TNT squad that has beaten Ginebra in its two previous Finals skirmishes.

"We have to stay hungry, especially the past history, we know how good this team is. They beat us before," he added, referring to the two Governors' Cup Finals series the past two seasons where the Gin Kings lost to the Tropang Giga.

"Fatigue is something I'm not worrying about. If I'm tired, I just push through it because just like everybody else in the team. We got to this point and reached the Finals," shared Brownlee, who is gunning for his seventh PBA title with Ginebra.

"Everybody gets a little fatigue, and may have some aches and pains, but we can't worry about those. We have to push through it."

Being a team player first, Brownlee deflected the credit to his teammates, particularly sophomore guard Stephen Holt and Jamie Malonzo, whose solid defensive effort in the dying second forced TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson to take a hurried shot, allowing Ginebra to escape with the one-point victory.

Game 3 shifts to the Philsports Arena in Pasig, with Ginebra looking to grab a 2-1 series lead this time.

TNT took Game 1, 95-89.