MANILA, Philippines — Justin Brownlee will have but a few days to recover physically and emotionally following Barangay Ginebra's failed championship bid in the PBA Governors' Cup against TNT.

The 36-year-old Brownlee gave his all and had Ginebra leading by 11 points in the third quarter, before TNT made its fourth quarter surge en route to winning Game 6, 95-85 en route to capturing the Governors' Cup crown via its 4-2 series triumph.

With only a week to recuperate, Brownlee admits he'll have to make a quick turnaround as he now focuses on leading Gilas Pilipinas in the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers.

"We've got a few days before we go to training camp. So just get ready for that and prepare for the team and try to do our best," Brownlee said, who averaged 19.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the championship series.

The Philippines takes on New Zealand on November 21 followed by Hong Kong on November 24.

Both games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.

The Tall Blacks have always been known for their physical, rugged plays, a fact that is not lost for Brownlee.

"Definitely, you still got a responsibility to go out there and fight for the country. And we got two tough opponents in New Zealand and Hong Kong," shared the 36-year-old Gilas naturalized forward.

"New Zealand is one of the top teams in the world, so it's going to be a good matchup and a good test for us," he added.

In their last two meetings, the Tall Blacks showed their might in dominating the Filipinos, 106-60 during the 2023 FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers in Auckland, along with an 88-63 rout in the Philippines' home game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Gilas registered resounding victories over its away game versus Hong Kong (94-64) followed by its 106-53 flattening of Taiwan in the February window of FIBA Asia Cup.

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