Champions at last Meralco Bolts is the new king of PH basketball

For more than a decade, Meralco Bolts and its legion of followers had been longing to get over the hump and capture the elusive Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) title.

In June 2024 – 14 years since they debuted at the oldest professional basketball league in Asia – the Bolts finally secured their spot in the long annals of Philippine basketball history as the PBA Philippine Cup champions for the first time.

Meralco’s guard and Gilas Pilipinas mainstay Chris Newsome took upon himself the chance to break the long years of dry spell as he drained the game-winning and title-clinching fallaway jumper in the final second of Game 6 of the PBA Finals last June 16.

Not only did Newsome, the crowned Finals MVP of the conference, gift the organization its maiden championship, he also erased the pains of four Finals heartbreaks of Meralco in the PBA – all at the hands of Ginebra Gin Kings.

This time, the 33-year-old playmaker of Meralco made sure no more bridesmaid finish for the team as he normed 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in six games. These numbers were enough to lead the Bolts in stunning the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen in a grueling championship series.

“It’s very special for the guys that’s been part of the organization since Day 1, even like ball boys, our utility, some of the staff there, this is all for them,” Newsome said moments after winning his first PBA ring.

“And also, the Meralco employees...the guys working in the office, all the linemen that are risking their lives to have the power on for us, those things that go unnoticed, and all we have to do is go out there is play and represent them. So, I’m proud and honored to be able to bring that championship to the Meralco organization, for all the employees of Meralco.”

Tough road to title

But the path to Bolts’ first-ever top podium finish met with a handful of bumps, kicking off their Philippine Cup campaign with a shaky 1-3 win-loss card in a single-round elimination. They somehow regained confidence in the succeeding games only to falter once again midway through the eliminations to slide down with a 3-5 slate.

Fate and determination seemed to align, though, for Meralco as they recovered right when it mattered most, finishing the eliminations with a three-game winning run to clinch the third spot in the standings heading into the playoffs.

Meralco would sweep their quarterfinals series against another MVP team NLEX Road Warriors to setup a semifinal clash against their long-time nemesis Ginebra – the very same team that inflicted them Finals scars in the previous years.

Down by 2-3 in the semifinals matchup, Allein Maliksi showed up at crunch time in Game 6, contributing nine to the final 13 points of Meralco in the game and forced a do-or-die battle against the Gin Kings.

However, history was not on the side of the Bolts heading to Game 7 of the semifinals, holding a dismal 0-6 record in a Best-of-7 series since joining the PBA.

Chris Banchero, then, took the spotlight as he delivered a masterful performance with playoff career-high 24 points in arguably one of the biggest games of his basketball career to buck all odds and eliminate their rival Ginebra.

“This is big for the franchise. We’ve been to other conferences, import-backed, but this is the first time in All-Filipino...I thought the guys were poised. We’ve beaten them (Ginebra) back-to-back. That’s something to be proud about,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo ahead of the first-ever Philippine Cup Finals appearance.

Meralco’s road to the evasive title got narrower come the Finals against San Miguel, the winningest team in history of PBA with overwhelming 29 championships in its bag. But Newsome and Banchero had a different plan.

The two guards pulled their acts together to pace Meralco’s second half rampage and stun the heavy-favorite San Miguel for a 1-0 start.

“You really have to believe that you can get something done and you can accomplish something special as a group despite all the odds that are against you,” Newsome told reporters.

But as expected it would be a nip-and-tuck battle between the two teams. Tied at 2-all after four games, the Bolts survived a 38-point outing from multi-MVP Junemar Fajardo with a 92-88 victory and moved to the cusp of the title.

This time, history backed the Bolts as 15 of the 19 PBA teams that had a 3-2 lead in the Finals went on to win the crown.

In the pivotal Game 6, Meralco appeared to be cruising smoothly to its first title as they built a 75-68 cushion against San Miguel, less than three minutes left to play. But all these evaporated quickly with Fajardo nailing a Hail Mary three-pointer in the final three seconds to equalize the game at 78.

Off a timeout, Newsome held on to what he said in Game 1 and what Meralco fans were screaming: “believe.”

With 3.3 seconds remaining on the clock, Newsome made a miracle and rewrote PBA history in front of thousands of basketball fans at Araneta Coliseum when he buried a career-defining shot at 1.3-second mark that ended Meralco’s Finals curse.

Finally, they can call themselves champions.

“There’s a lot of character here. When you look at this team. We were at one point, 1-3 and 3-5. They could’ve have easily given up, [but] the coaching staff, the players did not. These guys deserve all the recognition – from our veterans Cliff Hodge, Raymond Almazan, Allein Maliksi, Chris New, CB, to name a few,” Trillo said during the victory party at the Meralco compound in Pasig City.

“We worked hard. We really earned it. We went through the eye of a needle. We beat Ginebra and San Miguel at their best.”

‘Painting the town orange’

It was a moment to celebrate for the One Meralco community, which has been the source of inspiration for the team since wearing the Meralco threads in the league.

To finally bring the trophy to Meralco and knew that they made every employee proud, the Bolts paid it forward to the company’s workforce, especially the linemen, who everyday put their lives on risk to keep the lights on within the franchise area of Meralco.

“We share this with all the Meralco employees. We share it with our linemen. We always put our caps on when we go to work because we know that Meralco is a proud company. And we know the hard work that everybody puts in in Meralco. We are representing Meralco,” uttered Trillo.

The Meralco Gymnasium turned orange during the victory party where employees, fans, and even the players’ family members connived together to congratulate and recognize the Bolts’ unparallel perseverance to pocket the championship.

Clad with their orange shirts, attendees patiently lined up to have photos and autographs taken with the team.

“Masayang-masaya na yung sinusuportahang mong team, talagang gustong-gusto nila manalo. Nakakatuwa rin na inalay ni Finals MVP Chris Newsome sa mga employees ng Meralco, sa mga linecrew, at sa aming mga engineer din na nagtatrabaho outside basketball,” Kenneth William Robles, an executive assistant in Meralco, said in a video tribute for the squad.

The Meralco leaders, led by Chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan and Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Ronnie L. Aperocho, also lauded the team for showcasing values that the company holds dear to its heart – teamwork, excellence, and energy.

Aperocho extended his warmest appreciation for the Bolts, who have been very vocal in their love for the workforce.

“For 14 years and for several championship series, I was there watching you. We really suffered a lot of heartaches. But finally, we are here celebrating our success, our victory. With this win, you connected very well with the One Meralco workforce because of what you have displayed,” said Aperocho.

And there’s no other man from the Bolts’ who knows Meralco culture more than Cliff Hodge, who has been with the team for 12 years.

Drafted by Meralco in 2012, Hodge has been notable in the lineup, having been sacrificing his body almost all the time – through boxing out big men inside the paint to diving for loose balls. But he has no regrets. Not even an ounce of it.

“Honestly, the way I play is mainly for each and every one of these guys, all the fans, the management. So, I give myself every game for each and everyone of you guys. I’ve honestly wanted to win a championship for so long. Thank you guys. It’s crazy that we finally got it done,” Hodge, who appeared to be teary-eyed when he addressed his teammates and Bolts’ supporters during the event, said.

Indeed, streaks and records are made to be broken in sports like what Meralco did. But the battles are far from over. For more than a decade, Meralco and its fans longed for a PBA title. And they have no intention of waiting for another 10 years to win it the second time around.

Meralco may be basking in the glory of its first-ever title for now but at the back of their heads, the Bolts are raring to charge forward and prepare to chase another one – and many more.