PBA finals battle of super imports

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a rivalry that started in Season 47 PBA Governors’ Cup and spilled over to the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.

TNT’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson got the better of the first golden confrontation with Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee as he led the Tropang Giga to the GC diadem via a 4-2 verdict in the finals in April 2023.

Six months later in China, Brownlee, serving his duties as a naturalized player of Gilas Pilipinas, struck back against RHJ, his counterpart at Jordan, in the gold medal match, 70-60, to snap a 61-year drought for the Filipino ballers.

As they go on a grudge rematch back with their PBA clubs in the best-of-seven Governors’ Cup finals, expect fireworks and high quality ball.

“We got some recent history, you know, the Asian Games, the PBA Finals. It’s always an honor to play against a guy like that who’s been very decorated his whole amateur and professional career, playing (in) the NBA and having an incredible professional career overseas as well,” Brownlee said after he and the Gin Kings followed RHJ and the Tropang Giga to the Last Dance with a 102-99 Game 6 escape act over San Miguel Beer Sunday.

“For me, I feel like he should be in the NBA, he’s really good. So it’s going to be a fun match up, good for the fans, hopefully, it’s entertaining and hopefully, we can do whatever we have to do to come out and win the championship,” he added.

Payback will also be an agenda for JB and Ginebra pals Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Stephen Holt and RJ Abarrientos as they try to give RHJ and his TNT complements RR Pogoy, Calvin Oftana, Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac a dose of their own medicine and force them out of the throne this time around.

“It’s going to be very tough. Of course, we want to, I guess you’d say, try to avenge our finals (loss) from last year,” said Brownlee.

“But we’re just looking to take one step at a time and not trying to get ahead of ourselves and just to make it a hard fought series.”

The protagonists, whose coaches Tim Cone and Chot Reyes are good buddies, will spend the next few days recharging and mapping out their schemes before hitting the court on Sunday for Game 1 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

The Tropang Giga were first to the finals after closing out semis rival Rain or Shine in Game 5, 113-95, last Friday.