Not even a record-setting night from Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee could change coach Tim Cone’s mind on the four-point shot.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel import Justin Brownlee etched his name in the PBA record books on Wednesday night after burying five four-point shots in the Gin Kings’ 122-105 win over the San Miguel Beermen in Game 1 of their Season 49 Governors’ Cup semifinal series.
It was quite the shooting performance for the resident Ginebra import, who finished with 33 points in the rout. Brownlee actually hit his first five four-point attempts and would have gone perfect from that distance had it not been for a missed sixth attempt in the fourth period.
Nonetheless, the five made four-pointers is a new PBA mark, eclipsing the four set by Jerrick Ahanmisi of the Magnolia Hotshots earlier in the conference. The shot was introduced before the start of Season 49.
“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Brownlee said. “I see it. I felt like I was in a good rhythm. So I just wanted to try to be aggressive, take shots that were presented.
“San Miguel, they always come ready to play and they always have a good game plan. But for some reason, I found myself open a few times from deep, from the floor. So I just tried to shoot them and just be aggressive.”
Brownlee added that he regularly practices the four-pointer.
“Since the four-point line was introduced to the PBA, it’s something that teams in this league have taken advantage of. And we practice those shots. So just try to continue practicing and get better and better at them and be more comfortable taking them in the game.”
It was indeed an impressive shooting display for Justin Brownlee and a big win for Barangay Ginebra, but that doesn’t mean that coach Tim Cone has changed his stance on the four-point shot.
Before the season began, The GAME polled six PBA head coaches to get their thoughts on the new shot, and Cone was among those who weren’t too fond of it, telling us that he was “not a fan.”
He still isn’t, even as he recognizes it helped his team against the Beermen.
“Well, just because it favors our team, having Justin around and making those four doesn’t mean I’m a fan of the four-point line,” he said. “I just believe that the game has evolved into shooting, taking quick shots, taking four-point (shots).
“If you watch practices, guys practice, all they do is shoot threes and shoot fours. And I think the game is a lot more than that. And I think we’re kind of just evolving into that idea that we’re just going to be a three- or four-point shooting game.
“And there’s so much more to the game. There’s cutting, there’s screening. There’s the defensive side, the ability to pass…Those things are a really big part of the game as well. But “I think with the four-point shot, just my personal opinion, I think we’re putting the pressure on young kids to come out and just shoot, learn to shoot, and that’s good enough. And I think the game is more than that. So that’s why I don’t agree with it.”
Despite his disagreement with its implementation, Cone said his team does practice the shot religiously, adding that Brownlee gets more excited shooting fours than twos or threes.
“I mean, it’s great for our team. Having a guy like Justin around, and I think RJ (Abarrientos) can hit those shots as well. We have three or four guys who can hit that four-point shot. And he’s (Brownlee) right.
“We do practice it. Although he when we’re practicing twos, he’s like, eh. We’re practicing threes, gets a little bit more excited. And when we practice four, this guy, bang, bang, bang, bang! So he loves that four-point shot. And so if it’s out there, we’re going to use it as a weapon.
“But it doesn’t necessarily mean I agree with it, with the implementation of it.”
Barangay Ginebra will go for a 2-0 series lead on Friday.
Banner Image from PBA Media Bureau.