The reason Justin Brownlee keeps coming back to Manila

WITH the way the predominantly pro-Barangay Ginebra crowd cheered for the team at Philippine Arena Friday, Justin Brownlee said he’s inclined to return for a third year.

A gigantic crowd of 54,086 spectators witnessed Ginebra nabbing its second straight PBA Governors’ Cup title at the expense of Meralco and it was an overwhelming feeling for the former St. John University standout.

Brownlee, who has played in Italy and France besides his home country, said the record crowd proved that nobody appreciates basketball more than Filipinos do.

“I’ve never played in anything like this. Just looking up, man, it’s an amazing view from down here,” the 29-year-old said.

“Filipinos are very different from other fans from other countries. They really love basketball here. So I’m just blessed to be here and to perform in front of this amount of people.”

When asked if he’d be willing to play for Ginebra next season, he said: “I sure hope so, so we could win another one.”

Unlike Ginebra’s title victory in the 2016 edition of the Governors’ Cup, Brownlee didn’t need to pull off a miraculous feat to beat Meralco.

This time, everyone in the team stepped up.

Brownlee had 23 points, 3 points shy of LA Tenorio’s 26. Joe DeVance, Scottie Thompson and Greg Slaughter also made significant contributions.

“The team fought hard. Everybody in the team deserved it,” said Brownlee.

Coach Tim Cone said the