Justin Brownlee and the Meralco Bolts go way back, so it was only fitting that the 36-year-old import put on a classic performance for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the opener of their 2024 PBA Governor’s Cup quarterfinal match-up.

Brownlee led Ginebra to a 92-99 win against Meralco to kick off their best-of-five match-up, finishing with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-19 field goal shooting. In typical Brownlee fashion, he impacted the game beyond his scoring, adding 13 rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and a block to complete his well-rounded line. 

There was some concern on Brownlee’s availability for this postseason after he made an early exit from Ginebra’s regular season finale, but it was soon revealed that he was just battling another long time nemesis of his: cramps.

Ginebra led by as much as 15 points in the third period, but the Bolts battled back and came within one point, 84-83, with 7:06 left in the fourth quarter. However, Brownlee, as he has for almost a decade now, proved to be the stabilizer for Ginebra. He scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help secure the ever-crucial series opening win.

Game 1 was a promising start to what should be an exciting series between these two teams that share a storied rivalry that stretches back to Brownlee’s debut with Ginebra in the 2016 PBA Governor’s Cup. Since then, they’ve clashed in the postseason seven more times, with Ginebra coming out on top in five of those succeeding encounters. 

Notably, four of those Ginebra wins came in Governor’s Cup finals match-ups, all of which were claimed by Brownlee and Ginebra. In total, four of Brownlee’s six PBA titles have been won at Meralco’s expense, forever linking the 6’6 import to Ginebra’s longtime adversary.

Meralco has gained some ground in recent years, winning their last two playoff meetings, including last conference’s semifinals, which they ultimately claimed victory in—though both were in the Philippine Cup, where imports like Brownlee are not permitted.

As Game 2 approaches, Ginebra will need Brownlee to maintain his all-around brilliance if they are to regain control of their rivalry with Meralco. Though this Ginebra roster is vastly different from the one that Brownlee debuted with in 2016, his unique ability to elevate his teammates remains the key to unlocking the full potential of this team that is perennially packed with scoring talent, yet generally lacking in playmaking.

There’s still a long way to go in this series, but if Brownlee keeps performing at this level, a seventh championship in his remarkable partnership with Ginebra could very well be within reach.