Philippine basketball’s fabled Barangay Ginebra has conquered the visiting team Bay Area Dragons to reclaim the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and earn its 15th championship crown before a record live crowd attendance of 54,589.
The Popular Filipino ball club, encouraged by its legendary “never-say-die 6th man” barangay crowd in the stands, stood its ground in the best-of-seven series against the Hongkong-based team which started on Christmas Day in 2022 and finished off the competition in Game 7, 114-99.
Barangay Ginebra won three games – Game 1 (96-81), Game 3 (89-82), and Game 5 (101-91) – against Bay Area’s own three – leading to the decider 7th game held on January 15, 2023, at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Newly naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee led the barangay team with 34 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds, with notable contributions from Game 7 MVP Jamie Malonzo (22 points), LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, and Christian Standhardinger who was awarded the Honda Finals MVP.
“I’m just happy to do it in front of this crowd,” Brownlee said in the PBA report.
“When I was traded, I dreamed of this,” said Malonzo.
Barangay #Ginebra @BrgyGinebraSMig repels visiting Bay Area team to win its 15th @pbaconnect championship before a record home crowd of 54 thousand https://t.co/6GmbXsfja2
— Angie Quadra-Balibay (@AngieQBalibay) January 18, 2023
The Gin Kings made early runs in the last game, erecting a huge lead in the first half, 61-39.
Barangay Ginebra kept driving to the basket, stretching its lead to as much as 28 points.
It was clear at the last two minutes mark that the Barangay team is on its way to claiming the championship as the crowd roared its trademark chant of “Gi-neb-ra! Gi-neb-ra! Gi-neb-ra!”
Barangay Ginebra’s newest crown adds to its historic titles, making it the league’s second-winningest team next to the team of San Miguel Beer.
SEND CONGRATULATIONS in the comments below to Barangay Ginebra for winning the PBA Commissioner’s Cup against the Bay Area Dragons of San Francisco, USA!
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