Best of all time

June Mar Fajardo went full throttle on a night San Miguel Beer cemented its legacy as one of the greatest—if not the greatest— PBA teams of all time.

Playing like a man on a mission, Fajardo delivered one of the finest individual performances in Finals history as the Beermen rallied from 23 points down to outlast Magnolia in Game 5, 108-99, in double overtime and wrap up their fourth straight Philippine Cup crown at Mall of Asia Arena.

The reigning Most Valuable Player exploded for a playoff career-high 42 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, becoming the first local to pull off such a feat as the Beermen won their fourth consecutive game of the series after dropping the opener.

If the last three games were a showcase of San Miguel’s unmatched firepower, the Beermen’s ability to rise above adversity came to the fore in the title-clinching victory as they fought back from a 48-71 deficit in the third period.

The Beermen actually equaled the biggest comeback en route to a championship, matching Talk ’N Text’s feat against Alaska in the 2007 Fiesta Conference.

Paul Lee produced his best game of the series with 21 points, but just like Ian Sangalang, the Magnolia franchise player went cold in the second half and in the extra periods.

Coach Leo Austria also collected his sixth title in as many Finals appearances.

The Hotshots had the Beermen on the ropes, 86-81, after Rafi Reavis and Sangalang hit back-to-back jumpers with 1:05 remaining in regulation.

But the Beermen responded with Fajardo making a layup with 48 seconds remaining.

Arwind Santos sent the game to its first extension at 86 with a triple off a broken play, 16 seconds left.

Then Fajardo took over.

The 6-foot-10 cornerstone scored 12 points in the two overtime periods as the Hotshots couldn’t find an answer to the Beermen’s juggernaut.

The Beermen also drew a superb performance from Chris Ross, who was two steals shy of the first quadruple double in league history after finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.