Let me tell you, when you've been watching basketball as long as I have, you develop a sixth sense for those moments when a series truly shifts. Game 3 of this PBA Finals was one of those nights, a genuine gut-check for both teams that delivered more twists and turns than anyone could have predicted. Coming into this game, the narrative was already electric. The underdog squad was riding a wave of momentum, sitting just two wins away from pulling off what would have been an incredible Grand Slam against a San Miguel Beermen side that, let's be honest, has June Mar Fajardo. And that's the whole ball game right there. When you're game planning for a force of nature like Fajardo with what everyone knows is a roster lacking in the personnel department, every single possession becomes a high-wire act. You can't just stop him; you have to outthink him and the entire SMB system built around him.
I remember watching the first quarter unfold, and the energy in the arena was just different. You could feel the tactical chess match from the opening tip. The underdogs came out with a surprising defensive scheme, essentially throwing a makeshift, swarming double-team at Fajardo the moment he touched the ball anywhere near the paint. It was a gamble, a high-risk, high-reward strategy that screamed of a team aware of its limitations. They were essentially daring SMB's role players to beat them. For the first 15 minutes or so, it worked beautifully. They forced what I counted as 4 turnovers from Fajardo in the first quarter alone, converting them into 9 fast-break points. The lead ballooned to 14 points at one stage, and you started to wonder if we were witnessing a potential sweep in the making. The pace was frantic, the shots were falling, and the Beermen looked, for a moment, genuinely flustered.
But here's the thing about champions—they adjust. And the turning point, the one I believe historians will look back on if SMB comes back to win this series, came late in the second quarter. With about 3:42 left on the clock, the underdogs were still up by 11. Fajardo caught the ball on the left block, and instead of forcing a shot into the double-team, he immediately kicked it out to a relocating guard. That one pass shifted the entire defense. The ball swung twice more, ending up with their sharpshooter in the corner for a wide-open three. Swish. You could feel the momentum physically drain from one bench and surge into the other. That single play was a masterclass in patience from Fajardo. It was him recognizing that his gravity was the weapon, not just his scoring. From that moment until halftime, SMB closed the gap to just 4 points. They had solved the initial puzzle.
The third quarter was a brutal, grind-it-out affair where every basket felt like it required a Herculean effort. This is where the "lacking personnel" part really started to show for the underdogs. Their primary defender on Fajardo picked up his 4th foul midway through the period, and their bench options simply couldn't contain The Kraken. Fajardo went to work, scoring 12 of his 28 points in the paint during that quarter. I have to say, as much as I love an underdog story, watching a player of that caliber dominate is just a beautiful thing to witness. He wasn't just scoring; he was controlling the tempo, the rebounds, the very flow of the game. The underdogs' offense, which had been so fluid in the first half, became stagnant. They started settling for contested jump shots, and their field goal percentage plummeted to a dismal 32% for the quarter. You could see the fatigue setting in, both physically and mentally. The burden of trying to contain an unstoppable force with limited tools was finally taking its toll.
Then came the fourth quarter, and with it, the play that will be on every highlight reel. Tied at 85-85 with under a minute to go, the underdogs had the ball. Their star guard drove into the lane, drew the defense, and kicked it out to an open man in the corner. It was the exact kind of play that had built them their early lead. The shot went up, it looked good, it rattled in and out. Fajardo secured the rebound—his 18th of the game—and in one motion, he fired an outlet pass that seemed to travel three-quarters of the court, leading to a runaway layup on the other end. That sequence, from the missed shot to the rebound to the touchdown pass, was a 4-point swing in about 4 seconds. It wasn't just a play; it was a statement. It said, "We have June Mar Fajardo, and you don't." That broke their spirit. SMB would score on their next possession as well, sealing a 92-87 comeback victory that now makes this a 2-1 series.
Looking back, Game 3 was a perfect microcosm of this entire Finals matchup. You have a plucky, brilliantly coached team pushing a Goliath to the absolute limit. But in the end, talent and size, especially when it's packaged in a once-in-a-generation player like Fajardo, tend to win out over the long haul. The underdogs proved they belong here, no question. But SMB proved why they're the dynasty. They weathered the storm, made the critical adjustments, and their best player delivered the defining plays when it mattered most. For me, this game flipped the script. The pressure has now shifted. That Grand Slam, which felt so close just 48 hours ago, suddenly feels a lot farther away. The next game is no longer about holding serve; it's about stopping a Beermen team that has rediscovered its championship swagger.