MANILA, Philippines – Some factors are necessary for a movie to be a masterpiece, this is par deux of the close look on the Bolts’ ride to greatness for PBA 2024.

The greatest time to administer revenge is cold, or the day before a devastating loss. Chris Newsome had 48 hours to react after witnessing Lassiter back away and stab his cherished team in the heart.

In the last seconds of Game 3, Newsome provided the Bolts supporters with the response they were hoping for after Meralco’s heartbreaking defeat. The Gilas Pilipinas guard waited calmly while Chris Banchero lined up a play in nearly the exact same area when Lassiter broke Meralco’s heart in Game 2.

San Miguel was given a taste of its own medicine when Newsome got some breathing room—yes, in the exact left corner of the Big Dome’s court—and sank a triple in front of famed defender Mo Tautuaa, cutting the Beermen’s lead to 89-88.

What is more cinematic than drawing comparisons, after all?

Sincerely, I wasn’t giving it any thought. Newsome stated, “I was just being in the moment,” following their 93-89 defeat that gave them a 2-1 series lead. “Although it was satisfying that my shot connected, you must remain vigilant until the time on the clock reaches 0:00.”

But as every PBA fan who knows the Beermen knows, they’re cooking up a vengeance, and they have three days to cook it up. A climax is the peak of something; it’s the most dramatic, thrilling, or significant part of it.

Fajardo is the most dominant player in PBA history, having won a league-high seven MVP awards. He was the epitome of this All-Filipino Conference. In this part of the film, he took home his tenth career Best Player of the Conference prize. Being complimented for his dominance by Fajardo was nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the Bolts were alarmed by what they saw.

This enormous guy was vanquished by the Bolts three days prior, and just when he needed more inspiration following a terrifying loss, he received yet another trophy to add to his already extensive collection of hardware? The sound of Darth Vader’s theme music was perfect for Fajardo’s presentation of the BPC award; it’s amazing, mesmerizing, and even a little scary if you’re against him.

And in fact, the Bolts were against him.

As predicted, the well-rested and indisputable PBA GOAT dominated Meralco from beginning to end, giving fans a glimpse of his unquestionable superiority that they hadn’t seen in the series’ first three games.

The whole game, Meralco never had the lead. In contrast, Fajardo put on an incredible effort, scoring 28 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. As if that weren’t astounding enough, he also had a scorching 64 percent field goal clip, missing only five of his 14 attempts.

The BPC crown? That’s just the icing on the cake, though.

The Meralco Bolts were not that team.As has been the story of the game so far, Trillo’s wards handled what was expected to be an easy round for the Beermen.

Spectators would push the goalpost further each time Meralco scored a goal. Even nevertheless, the Bolts would reach that goal post, demonstrating the true valor that a protagonist may possess. However, this triumph seemed distinct from previous Meralco wins in the back-and-forth series. The Bolts, who defeated San Miguel 92-88, were hardly grinning when the buzzer went off, far from being only one victory away from history.

Only one victory away from capping an incredible journey, Trillo, Vucinic, and the entire Meralco team braced themselves for an upcoming Beermen showdown.

Allein Maliksi made history in the film’s climactic sequence by scoring 14 points and grabbing three rebounds. Naturally, Newsome’s valiant efforts were rewarded as he took home the MVP trophy and led the Bolts to an incredible series victory with averages of 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over six games.

When the final credits rolled, the heroes triumphed over a franchise that is practically synonymous with the term “dynasty.

It was not to be for the Beermen’s run at a 30th championship. No, with the next PBA season just a few months away, that tale will most likely be in production very soon.