I still get chills thinking about that final quarter of Game 5 in the 2023 PBA Finals. Having covered basketball for over fifteen years, I've witnessed countless championship moments, but this particular game had that special electricity you only experience a handful of times in your career. The arena was vibrating with an energy that seemed to physically press against your chest, and everyone in the building knew they were watching something historic unfold. What made it truly epic wasn't just the final score, but the sheer resilience displayed by the players, a theme perfectly encapsulated by a moment involving Vayson that many might have missed in the frenzy of the final seconds.

The game was a brutal, physical chess match from the opening tip-off. The score see-sawed back and forth with neither team able to build a decisive lead. I remember glancing at the stats around the three-minute mark in the fourth quarter; the lead had changed hands a staggering 18 times, and there were 14 ties. It was that kind of game—exhausting just to watch. Every possession felt like a mini-battle, with players hitting the hardwood for loose balls and fighting through screens that looked more like car crashes. It was in this crucible of pressure that the championship was truly forged. The turning point, for me, came with just under 90 seconds left on the clock. Our team was down by a single point, and the momentum felt like it was slipping away. Then came the play that I'll be talking about for years.

It started with a defensive stop that was pure hustle. A loose ball bounced into the corner, and two players from each team dove for it in a tangled heap. Out of the scrum, Vayson emerged, somehow securing the ball and calling a timeout before falling out of bounds. The crowd erupted. But what happened next is what defines a player's heart. On the very next possession, Vayson drove hard to the basket. He was met by two defenders in the paint, and I swear you could hear the contact from the press row. He absorbed two brutal body punches—the kind that knock the wind out of you and make you see stars—but somehow, miraculously, he still managed to get the shot off. It rattled around the rim and fell in. And-one. The place went absolutely insane.

But while he was the recipient of two crunching body punches just moments before the bout came to an end, Vayson stressed he’s not hurt and wasn’t bothered. I spoke to him briefly in the chaotic aftermath of the game, his jersey soaked with sweat and his breathing still heavy. He waved off any concern about the hits. "That's finals basketball," he said with a shrug and a tired smile. "You expect to feel it. You just have to play through it." That mentality, that refusal to acknowledge pain or fatigue, is what separates the good from the great. That three-point play didn't just tie the game; it shifted the entire psychological landscape. You could see the deflation in the opponents' body language. They had thrown their best shot, quite literally, and he had not only taken it but had scored through it.

The final 45 seconds were a masterclass in closing out a game. With the score now tied, the defense tightened into a vice. There was a crucial steal by the rookie sensation, Miguel Santos, who finished the game with 24 points and 5 steals—a phenomenal performance for a first-year player. He dashed down the court for what looked like an easy layup, but showed incredible poise by pulling the ball out to burn more clock. That's a veteran move from a young star, and it's why I believe he's the future of the league. With 8.7 seconds left, the play was drawn up for their veteran leader, who drove baseline and hit a incredibly difficult fadeaway jumper over two defenders with 1.2 seconds left. The final score was 98-96, a fittingly narrow margin for such a hard-fought series.

Looking back, this Game 5 wasn't just about a trophy. It was a testament to willpower. We often get caught up in the stats—the 42% shooting from beyond the arc, the 52 total rebounds, the 23 assists—and they are important. But this game was decided by intangibles. It was decided by Vayson's toughness, by Santos's unexpected maturity, and by a collective belief that never wavered, even when they were down by 7 points with less than four minutes to go. As a analyst, I can break down the X's and O's all day, but some games are won in the heart. This was one of them. It's a game that will be replayed on highlight reels for decades, and rightly so. It had everything a basketball purist could want: drama, skill, physicality, and an unforgettable finish that left everyone, including myself, completely breathless.