The Ginebra Gin Kings' local crew tried to rally their squad after Justin Brownlee's untimely exit in Game 3 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
There is a growing concern within the Ginebra camp after import Justin Brownlee suffered a dislocated thumb in the Gin Kings' 85-87 defeat to TNT in Game 3 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals Wednesday night, March 19.
Brownlee’s injury, which happened almost halfway through the third period, appeared serious that the team rushed him to the hospital.
[RELATED STORY: Justin Brownlee dislocates thumb in third quarter of Ginebra's Game 3 setback to TNT]
Gin Kings assistant coach Richard del Rosario could not stress enough the importance of the beloved naturalized Filipino to the team.
"Definitely, it’s a big concern. Si Justin, he provides a lot of stuff for us not only on offense but also on defense. A part of our system revolves around Justin,” said Del Rosario after the match.
Though Brownlee did not see action the rest of the game, Del Rosario and the coaching staff took comfort in the fact that the Gin Kings rallied behind their teammate and refused to lift their feet from the gas pedal.
“We had a taste of playing without him here in the second half. But again, it’s going to be tougher because Talk N Text will also adjust,” said Del Rosario.
Justin Brownlee registers 19 points, four boards and six assists before his unfortunate exit due to a dislocated thumb in Game 3 of the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup Finals. | Photo (c) RM Chua/One Sports
Del Rosario hopes that Brownlee would recover in time for Game 4, where Ginebra will aim to equalize anew.
“We don’t know if Justin’s going to play on [Friday] or not. We’re still hoping that he can play. Warrior naman 'to si Justin. Basta't kaya niya, kaunting sakit lang 'yan, maglalaro 'yan. We’re just waiting, and, hopefully, we get good news.”
Del Rosario and the rest of the Ginebra faithful are hoping for the best.
“We’re still hoping for the best. If it’s dislocated, then hopefully we can, ano lang natin, sana walang bali. But again, it’s hard to speculate now kasi wala pa talagang… kapupunta pa lang sa kaniya doon sa hospital. We just have to wait," Del Rosario said.
Game 4 of the best-of-seven finale is set on Friday, March 21, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.