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Basketball: Gilas eyes payback vs Jordan in Asiad gold medal match

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ABS-CBN News

Cone gushes on Brownlee’s money shots vs China (H3)<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="It" s="" going="" to="" be="" another="" match-up="" between="" Rondae="" Hollis-Jefferson="" and="" Justin="" Brownlee.="" POC-PSC="" pool="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/sports/10/05/gilas-justin-brownlee_psc-poc.jpg"/><figcaption>It&#x27;s going to be another match-up between Jordan&#x27;s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Gilas&#x27; Justin Brownlee. POC-PSC pool/file</figcaption></figure></div>Justin Brownlee and Gilas Pilipinas will have a much-anticipated rematch against Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan in the gold medal match of the 19th Asian Games basketball competition on Friday.Gilas is coming off an emotional, morale-boosting 77-76 victory over China, but standing on their way is a formidable Jordan team that dealt their only defeat in this Games&#x27; basketball tournament.“We said that from the beginning. I’m not sure we believe we’d get here, but we did say that from the beginning. We also kept saying we want to get back and play Jordan, so we’re back to play them. Now we’ll see what we can do,” said coach Tim Cone.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/04/23/gilas-rallies-past-china-progresses-to-gold-medal-game">Brownlee plays hero anew as Gilas stuns China, progresses to gold medal game</a></li></ul>The two teams will be equally motivated to claim the gold.Jordan has never won the Asian Games title, finishing fourth place twice, including in 1986 in Seoul when it bowed to an all-amateur Philippine team coached by Joe Lipa in the battle for bronze.Rrevenge for a long ago slight could be out there somewhere, for the Jordanians.The Philippines, on the other hand, last ruled Asiad basketball in 1962, at the tail end of an 11-year reign as champions.Payback will likewise be on the nationals’ mind after Jordan beat them in the preliminaries 87-62 and sent them off down a perilous path against Iran in the quarters and China in the semis.In contrast, Jordan, having secured an outright quarterfinal berth after downing Gilas, breezed past Saudi Arabia in the round of eight and Chinese-Taipei in the Final Four.But the Filipinos weathered a massive comeback by the Iranians to win by one, and then completing an epic rally to beat host China, again by one — with Brownlee figuring prominently in the two victories.“This is special,” said Tim Cone of their stunner against China. “Twenty-five years ago, China beat me. And, I tell you, to this day that’s the only game where I cried. To come back here and get this victory now is to come full cycle. It’s an emotional time for us and, I think, for everybody.”<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/05/23/marcial-settles-for-silver-as-chinese-foe-wins-via-decision">Marcial settles for silver as Chinese foe wins via decision</a></li></ul>Quickly snapping out of the reverie, he added: “But I’m trying to keep an even keel because we got another game, and our goal still is to win the gold.&quot; Cone then went on to gush over Brownlee, who took one dagger shot after another from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, most memorable of which was the stop-on-a-dime, step-back three he took in front of China’s bench that cut the lead to 76-74. Then came that mind-boggling game-winner, falling away against two defenders for the go-ahead basket 77-76 with 23 seconds left.“Those last two shots were like impossible,” said Cone. “Guys were right on his face, and I thought there’s no way either of those would go in and both of them go…Boom! Boom! And I was like, wow, we have a shot!&quot;“Whew! Those last two shots…they’re unforgettable. People will remember them forever.”

Jordan has never won the Asian Games title, finishing fourth place twice, including in 1986 in Seoul when it bowed to an all-amateur Philippine team coached by Joe Lipa in the battle for bronze.