Seigle rushed out to contest the shot as Tan took aim but the San Miguel fil-am was too late. The ball was launched in a high arc, reached its peak and went down and into the rim, igniting the Big Dome and sending the Realtors bench in bedlam.
The shocking three-point shot sent waves of electricity crackling all over the coliseum, briefly numbing the Beermen before coach Jong Uichico called a timeout, 3.3 seconds left.
Here, Encarnado froze.
Many years ago when the Realtors were still competing in the Philippine Ameateur Basketball League, Encarnado beheld divine intervention go against his team after Dwight Lago, playing for Magnolia, hit a three-point shot with 4.3 seconds remaining in the championship game, forging overtime.
Magnolia went on to win in the extra period and in the succeeding winner-take-all final game, denying the Realtors a championship they thought they had in the bag and leaving a bitter taste in the Sta. Lucia team manager's mouth.
Two nights ago, Encarnado faced a nightmare from not too long ago: Score tied in Game Six of a seven-game series, Sta. Lucia up by three and looking for the title-clinching win but on the defensive against Magnolia's sister team (with Lago in the lineup), and , most chilling of all, 3.3 seconds left on the clock.
It was eerie.
And Encarnado knew: A Game 7 would have dire consequences for the Realtors for not only was the momentum going to shift to San Miguel's side, but the series was going back to Philsports Arena where Sta. Lucia had lost Games Two and Four.
But he kept his faith and the defense came through for him, allowing Seigle a three-point shot that he needed to alter a little to let loose, forcing it to veer slightly to the right.
As the ball bounced off and the final buzzer blared, the Realtors and their ringside fans flooded the court to bask in the spotlight and awash themselves in the splendor of a first-ever championship.
At that instant, all the horrors of the past vanished, long beards from the long wait got sheared, and the future opened up like a brand, new day. For the Realtors, nothing could be sweeter.
The Manila Bulletin (December 19, 2001)