EXPECT Game Seven of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Barangay Ginebra and Bay Area on Sunday to leave a lasting memory to each one attending the blockbuster at the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan
But before that, let’s look back on other memorable PBA Finals series that went the distance in the past decade.
Memorable PBA Finals series that reached Game 7 in the 2010s
Rain or Shine vs B-Meg (2012 Governors’ Cup)
An independent team raising a PBA championship trophy is such a rarity that it deserves a spot on this list.
Rain or Shine carried the banner for non-sister teams when it won its first-ever PBA title in this conference at the expense of powerhouse B-Meg.
It took the full route for the Elasto Painters to earn the silverware as coach Yeng Guiao made the most of his squad bannered by Paul Lee, Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga, JR Quiñahan, and import Jamelle Cornley.
The E-Painters relished the underdog tag against a Llamados side led by James Yap, Marc Pingris, PJ Simon, and reinforcement Marqus Blakely.
Rain or Shine had the last laugh as Cornley put up 20 points and 14 boards in Game Seven to prove that independent teams can win in the PBA.
San Miguel vs Magnolia (2019 Philippine Cup)
What makes this memorable is actually what happened two games before Game Seven.
It was in Game Five when a fan dressed in a Spiderman costume entered the Smart-Araneta Coliseum floor and collided with June Mar Fajardo before being caught by security.
The man, later identified as Paolo Felizarta, said it was his way of sending a message of love ahead of that year’s elections.
When the dust settled, Magnolia escaped San Miguel, 88-86, behind a Mark Barroca clutch shot to move on the verge of the title with a 3-2 lead.
But the Beermen were far from over, pulling off back-to-back wins to frustrate their sister team.
Alex Cabagnot delivered with 18 points, while June Mar Fajardo grabbed 31 rebounds in Game Seven to complete the series comeback.
B-Meg vs Talk ‘N Text (2012 Commissioner’s Cup)
Making not just one, but two pressure-packed free throws in the dying seconds of a Game Seven makes you deserving to be on this list.
B-Meg import Denzel Bowles etched his name in history on May 6, 2012 when he drew a foul from Talk ‘N Text and made two charities with only 1.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Only five days after his 23rd birthday, Bowles continued to show veteran poise as he completed his heroics in the extra session with a couple of crucial baskets to finish with 39 points and 21 boards.
“It was my rookie year but it is still the best moment of my life,” Bowles said. “It changed my life forever. I’m very thankful for that moment.”
San Miguel vs Alaska (2016 Philippine Cup)

Who can forget the “Beeracle”?
Buried in a deep 0-3 grave, San Miguel rose from the dead against Alaska and pulled off what had never been done before, even in the NBA – fighting back from that kind of deficit in a best-of-seven series to stamp its class as the most successful team in the PBA.
It culminated in Game Seven on February 3, 2016 when 23,616 fans, the biggest-ever crowd to watch a PBA game at the Mall of Asia Arena, stood witness as the Beermen held off a last stand by the Aces to earn the historic 96-89 victory.
The Beermen shrugged off a weird move by Alaska to open the series decider with three successive timeouts, then had to regroup after the Aces trimmed a 21-point deficit to five early in the fourth quarter.
Defense-first Chris Ross found his offensive touch as he finished with a game-high-tying 21 points to be named the PBA Press Corps Finals MVP, but it was the return of June Mar Fajardo in Game Four from an injury that sparked the greatest comeback arguably in basketball history.
"I said before that a miracle is just around the corner, and now it happened," SMB coach Leo Austria said after the flagship of the SMC organization won a second straight crown, third in the last four conferences and 22nd overall title back then.
Talk ‘N Text vs Rain or Shine (2015 Commissioner’s Cup)
It’s a Game Seven long enough to leave a lasting memory.
After all, this was the only Game Seven in PBA Finals history that needed not just one, but two overtime periods to determine the champion.
Talk ‘N Text and Rain or Shine left it all out on the floor, throwing their best punches at each other and still refusing to go down before the final bell sounded and saw Texters escape with a 121-119 victory on April 29, 2015.
“First time kong na-experience yung ganoong klase ng laro in all of my coaching career in the PBA,” then Texters coach Jong Uichico said as he battled counterpart Yeng Guiao in a chess game on the sidelines.
“Yun bang up and down, talo na, nanalo pa, talo na ulit, nanalo pa ulit, and so forth,” he added. “I don’t remember the sequence, pero ganun yung laro na yun. Walang gustong bumigay and both teams made big shots.”
Ranidel de Ocampo shone brightest among the stars as he poured in 34 points, built around six treys, including two that sparked the Texters’ first seven points in the second extra session that gave them a 114-108 lead.
“Grabe ang game na yun,” De Ocampo, the eventual Finals MVP, said. “Labanan ng plays, labanan ng tibay, labanan ng tapang.”
Temperamental import Ivan Johnson kept his cool as he also proved to be a key, draining the triple that tied the game at 106 and dragged the Wayne Chism-led E-Painters to a second overtime.
What other Game 7s do you think we can add to this list?
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph