TNT and Barangay Ginebra produced an epic of a Game 7 that needed an overtime period to determine the PBA Commissioner's Cup champion last week.
The Tropang Giga proved to be the steady team down the stretch to come through with an 87-83 win for the franchise's 11th league title fashioned out before a crowd of 21,274 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
READ: TNT looking to add another point guard ahead of Grand Slam bid
Truly, it was a winner-take-all to remember that will always be talked about in the years to come.
Overall, 30 finals went the full seven-game route in the 49-year history of the PBA, but only four Game 7s went into overtime including the recent TNT-Ginebra tussle.
The first three of course, were just as classic as this one and produced plays and personnel that will forever be etched in the memory of basketball fans.
In the light of the 53-minute battle of attrition provided by the Tropang Giga and the Kings, SPIN.ph take a look back on those memorable Game 7s in PBA annals that were decided beyond the regulation time.
Sunkist vs. Alaska (1995 All-Filipino Conference)
This was the first Game 7 in league history to go into overtime. The Juicers lost a 13-point lead and trailed the Milkmen late in the fourth quarter.
READ: This 1995 Sunkist team that came close to a grand slam is quite something, too
But Best Player of the Conference Vergel Meneses nailed a three-pointer, and then feed veteran forward Yoyoy Villamin the basket that sent the game into overtime, 74-all.
Man-mountain Bonel Balingit and the late RicRic Marata combined for nine of Sunkist 13 points in the extra period for the win, 87-78, at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The championship was the first for Sunkist coach Derrick Pumaren and the third for the RFM franchise.
Finals MVP: N/A
B-Meg vs. TNT (2012 Commissioner’s Cup)
In a drama-filled Game 7, import Denzel Bowles was put on the pressure cooker when he was fouled by Kelly Williams in the Llamados’ final play in regulation with 1.2 seconds left and the Purefoods team trailing TNT, 76-74.
READ: 'Monster' Game 7 performance for B-Meg in 2012 still high on Bowles list
Only 23-years-old back then and playing in just his second overseas stint, Bowles had the Llamados’ fate in his hands. Amidst bedlam before a jampacked Araneta Coliseum crowd, the teary-eyed Best Import of the conference sank both freebies to pave the way for the extra five minutes.
His confidence level reaching off the roof, Bowles went on a zone in overtime racking up 10 straight points to lead B-Meg to the championship, 90-84. He finished with 39 points and 21 rebounds as Tim Cone won his first crown with the SMC franchise
Finals MVP: James Yap
TNT vs. Rain or Shine (2015 Commissioner’s Cup)
Arguably, this was the finest Game 7 ever fought in PBA history as the Texters and Elasto Painters needed not one but two overtime periods to decide the outcome of the back-and-forth match at the Big Dome.
Wayne Chism, adjudged as Best Import, knocked down two clutch three pointers in regulation to force overtime play as Rain or Shine rallied from 15 points down to tie the count at 97.
Not to be denied, TNT counterpart Ivan Johnson came up big in the first extra period, draining a three that paved the way for the second extra period (106-all).
With fatigue and cramps setting in on both teams, Ranidel De Ocampo saved his best for last and nailed two pressure-packed treys in the second overtime on the way to clinching the title, 121-119. The championship was the first and only for coach Jong Uichico at TNT.
Finals MVP: Ranidel De Ocampo
TNT vs Barangay Ginebra (2024-25 Commissioner’s Cup)
Ginebra import Justine Brownlee displayed his magic wand once more, draining the game-tying basket (79-all) from deep and extending the do-or-die game into an extra five minutes.
With TNT's Rondae Hollis-Jefferson battling an assortment of injuries, the Tropang Giga went to the quartet of Rey Nambatac, Poy Erram, Glenn Khobuntin, and Calvin Oftana to deliver the goods down the stretch.
Khobutin’s stunning three capped a telling 6-0 TNT run, before Oftana scored on a get-away layup off Japeth Aguilar on a Hollis-Jefferson feed to complete the dramatic 87-83 win.
It was the second straight championship for the telecommunication franchise in Season 49, putting the team in line for a possible grand slam.
Finals MVP: Rey Nambatac
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