HANGZHOU – He has left his mark in his birthplace in the United States besides Mexico, Italy, France, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and South-east Asia, and is known by many as a clutch player.

But even Justin Brownlee would admit he might have outdone himself on Wednesday, as he played the match of his life to lead the Philippines to a “miraculous” 77-76 win over the hosts and defending champions in the Asian Games men’s basketball semi-finals at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium.

The 35-year-old said: “Playing here in China, against China, with a very hostile crowd, it’s gotta be up there with one of the great shots.”

Gilas Pilipinas, who were behind by as many as 20 points, were down by seven points with 90 seconds left when Brownlee went on a solo 8-0 run, including two treys. With 24 seconds to go, the Philippines led for the first time in the game, and it was enough to send the four-time champions through to Friday’s final against Jordan, who beat Chinese Taipei 90-71.

National coach Tim Cone, who has coached the 1.98m forward since he first set foot in the Philippines in 2016, said: “We couldn’t do it without Justin doing the things he does… A very, very clutch player.”

While their defence must be credited for blanking China in the last three minutes, there is no question Brownlee has been their saviour in this campaign.

In the quarter-final against Iran, his team had blown a 21-point lead to trail 82-83, but he stepped up with a floater to help his team progress, before his semi-final heroics and game-high 33 points propelled them back to the Asian Games men’s basketball final for the first time in 33 years.

Brownlee said “puso”, the Tagalog word for heart, is what he and his team are all about and the Georgia native’s never-say-die attitude was perhaps honed from the time he got waived by the New York Knicks in 2013 just three days after signing a dream contract with the National Basketball Association (NBA) team.

Thus began his journeyman career, but his heart settled with the Philippines. On his first Asean foray, he delivered the title-clinching three-pointer for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel en route to six championships.

In 2018, he also won the Asean Basketball League with Alab Pilipinas, endearing himself with the locals with his all-action performances before he expressed his desire to be a naturalised citizen.

It took the man nicknamed Noypi – a play on the word pinoy, proving the fans have already accepted him as one of their own – more than four years before he was eligible in January 2023, and he wasted no time to help the Philippines regain SEA Games gold in May.

Brownlee said: “I know the history (of former NBA players like Jordan Clarkson and Andray Blatche being naturalised for the Philippines)... so I’ve definitely got big shoes to fill.

“I wouldn’t say I would be any more special than past naturalised players, but by just being me, I think I can bring something different. Everyone is special in his own way, but playing my style of basketball and helping implement that within the team, and with what they’ve already got going as far with the way they play, is how I can fit in.”

While Brownlee and his teammates can dream about a fairy-tale ending, China are left picking up the pieces of a nightmare finish, and the semi-final drama did not end after the buzzer.

Besides disappointing their fans, the home team infuriated journalists who were told their post-game press conference was cancelled as they had headed straight back to the athletes’ village.

Following a protest, Chinese Basketball Association president Yao Ming returned with coach Aleksandar Djordjevic and captain Zhao Jiwei, and apologised.

When the session started, Djordjevic claimed responsibility for the defeat, before Zhao interjected and said: “I think it’s the players’ fault. We cannot be blaming a coach who truly cares about us when we lose one game.”