Rank Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
    View Today
    Sun, Nov 5

    This TnT vs Rain or Shine epic is the best Game 7 in PBA Finals history

    Two OTs, Ivan Johnson's antics, Guiao tantrums, RDO heroics made this a Game Seven for the ages
    Apr 30, 2020

    TALK ‘N Text and Rain or Shine battled each other five years ago in what came down as arguably the best Game 7 ever played in PBA Finals history.

    The Commissioner’s Cup championship was up for grabs on that warm night of April 29, 2015 as a big crowd turned up at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to witness the Texters and Elasto Painters trade big punches like two heavyweight fighters going at each other in a world title fight.

    It was one for the ages, a dramatic encounter decided not only by one, but two overtime periods.

    As per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III, it was the only Game 7 of a finals in league annals that went down as a grueling 58-minute war.

    Jong Uichico, in his first season as TnT coach then, admitted never being involved in such a thrilling contest which his side won, 121-119.

    “First time kong na-experience yung ganoong klase ng laro in all of my coaching career in the PBA,” said Uichico, recalling the moment.

    “Yun bang up and down, talo na, nanalo pa, talo na ulit, nanalo pa ulit, and so forth. I don’t remember the sequence, pero ganun yung laro na yun. Walang gustong bumigay and both teams made big shots.”

    Players of the two teams made big plays at crunch time, but Ranidel De Ocampo proved to be the man of the hour for Talk ‘N Text as he drained two pressure-packed three-pointers that made all the difference in the second OT.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    De Ocampo finished with a career-high 34 points on 6-of-9 shooting from downtown. He opened the second overtime period by scoring the Texters’ first seven points, sandwiched by those three-pointers that gave the team a 114-108 cushion going home.

    The recently retired 38-year-old forward considered the performance as one of the highlights of his 15-year pro career.

    “History yun. Game 7, double-overtime tapos sobrang dikit yung laban,” said De Ocampo, who emerged as the Finals MVP after playing for 47 minutes and adding seven rebounds and four assists. “Maraming drama yung championship na yun.”

    CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓
    Watch Now

    Part of that drama involved Ivan Johnson, the feisty but eccentric TnT import, who was the team’s version of Dennis Rodman.

    The temperamental NBA player found himself involved in several altercations during the course of the conference all the way to the playoffs, none worse than the sideline bump he did on Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao during Game 1 of the finals.

    Johnson, who Guiao later labelled as ‘mentally unstable,’ was fined P150,000 for his action, but escaped suspension and played the rest of the title series.

    Uichico refused to refer to Johnson as a distraction, but the coach was grateful for team captain Jimmy Alapag for making sure the import stay focused on the task at hand.

    “All players naman especially imports, they have their own mindset, especially NBA player yun. It’s just a matter of constant communication,” said the champion coach. “Kaya that time na yun, malaking bagay si Jimmy (Alapag), who was really the one constantly communicating with Ivan. Jimmy was a big part in Ivan keeping his focus in the games.”

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    Johnson, a former Atlanta Hawk, came to play and finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists while playing the most minutes (56 minutes) for TnT during the do-or-die match.

    His three-pointer inside the final 19 seconds tied the count anew, 106-all, and paved the way for the second extra period.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    “Ivan hit that three-point shot to force the second overtime. We were down three and then he hit that big three,” Uichico vividly remembered.

    After Johnson knotted the score, Guiao called timeout for a game-winning play, but Paul Lee missed his shot in the middle with 1.6 seconds, giving TnT enough time to go for a final basket.

    Rain or Shine, however, anticipated Jason Castro getting the ball, and forced the veteran guard to miss his shot at the buzzer.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    Initially, the game didn’t look like it would end up as a classic.

    The Texters started like a house on fire, racing to an early 21-5 lead, but the Elasto Painters, summoning their own Barangay Ginebra Never-Say-Die mindset, battled their way back and trailed by just 50-42 at halftime.

    While TnT managed to stay on top the rest of the way, Rain or Shine proved to be a tough customer to deal with, keeping in step with its opponent play for play, basket for basket.

    Then import Wayne Chism took the baton for the Elasto Painters in the stretch, scoring the team’s final eight points in regulation, including a booming triple to tie the game at 97-all inside the final 32 seconds.

    Castro had a shot at winning the championship outright for the Texters, but bungled a jumper on the run, time down to 1.6 seconds left.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    The Elasto Painters got the rebound, but coming off a timeout, Chris Tiu misfired on a three-point attempt to set the stage for the first overtime.

    “Grabe ang game na yun,” said De Ocampo. “Labanan ng plays, labanan ng tibay, labanan ng tapang.”

    Momentum appeared to have shifted to Rain or Shine’s side come the extra period.

    Chism hit five straight points, including two free throws as the Elasto Painters enjoyed their biggest lead of the game at 104-101.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    Then it was Johnson’s turn to take over.

    Not wanting to let the Texters down, the import willed the team back into the nip-and-tuck game. The last of his four treys for the night eventually paving the way for the second overtime.

    With both teams already feeling the effects of fatigue, RDO summoned whatever remained in the tank and came charging for TnT.

    “Ranidel really made the crucial, winning baskets to get that game for us,” said Uichico. “He really hit the big shots, I remember may tao pa sa harap niya (when he made that shot).”

    Even when everything else pointed to a TnT victory, a semblance of life remained for Rain or Shine.

    Trailing by three with 3.1 seconds left, Paul Lee stood at the foul line and made the first of two pressure-packed free throws.

    He then intentionally missed the second in the hope of getting the ball back and forcing a third overtime or winning the game outright.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    But Johnson made sure to secure the rebound and take the fight out of the gallant Elasto Painters.

    As the smoke of battle cleared, Castro came a rebound short of a triple-double for the Texters with 24 points, nine rebounds, and 12 assists, while Larry Fonacier and Jay Washington were the other to finish in double figures for the champions with 12 and 10, respectively.

    ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

    The loss was a heartbreaking one for Rain or Shine as it put to naught the monster 34-point, 29-rebound effort of Chism, the conference’s Best Import awardee, who played without relief the entire game. He finished 12-of-20 from the field and scored 19 big points in the fourth quarter.

    MORE FROM SPIN
    MORE FROM SPIN

      Lee shot 7-of-15 from three-point range to lead all Rain or Shine scorers with 38 points, with Tiu chipping in 10 markers.

      Despite the winner-take-all match needing 58 minutes to be decided, the game only had four lead changes and were tied just five times.

      Nonetheless, it was a game Uichico considered as ‘draining.'

      “It was a series na nakakapagod talaga. Physically, mentally, and emotionally draining,” he said.

      MORE FROM SPIN
      MORE FROM SPIN

        Both teams would suffer different fates following the epic showdown.

        The championship was the last to be won by the TnT franchise, which would make it back to the finals twice (under different coaches), but never got to bring home the title anew.

        ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW ↓

        Rain or Shine earned a return trip to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals the following year (2016), and finally bagged the elusive crown, beating Alaska in their title series, 4-2. The team never made the finals anew after Guiao left the franchise in 2017.

        But at least five years ago, the two teams gave PBA fans a classic Game 7 to remember.

        Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

        Read Next
        Watch Now
        Sorry, no results found for
      • POLL

        • Quiz

          Quiz Result