It may be just a preseason tournament, but Barangay Ginebra have been serving up thrilling wins worthy of the franchise's never-say-die mantra.
And they have found a new hero in the process.
Just four days after squeaking past Blackwater Bossing by a solitary point, the Barangay rallied from a seven-point deficit in the last two minutes to nip Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 108-107 on Sunday night in the PBA On Tour, thanks to the heroics of back-up guard Jayson David.
It was the climax of another fan-friendly, come-from-behind victory for the league's most popular ballclub, and the continued progression of this temporary version of the team that is playing without most of its stars.
"Game on the line, guys in foul trouble -- we had guys stepping up," Ginebra coach Richard Del Rosario said.
"Jayson David -- struggling the whole game -- played big in the end game. So it's really about the players' effort.
I'm just happy for them that now you can see the improvement individually and as a team, and we're giving the fans a good game. It's just a collective effort from everybody.
"Rain or Shine is a very tough team, very well-coached. I think it's a big morale-booster for the guys here, and I hope it can carry on for our next games here at On Tour."
"It's a good feeling," David added. "Siyempre, nabigyan ako ng pagkakataon na ako iyong nag takeover sa last seconds na ma-shoot ang dalawang layup at makuha ang panalo."
David wasn't even supposed to be in the game at that point.
But after Nards Pinto suffered cramps late in the fourth quarter, Del Rosario put him back in, even though at that point David hadn't made a single basket.
It turned out to be the right call as the former 3x3 player hit two crucial layups in the last 30 seconds, the last of which was the go-ahead basket with 2.4 seconds to go.
David's back2back buckets FTW!
— PBA (@pbaconnect) June 25, 2023
Final: Ginebra beats Rain or Shine, 108-107. #PBAGameTayoDito #PBAOnTour pic.twitter.com/D7pRGQ9uYs
"When Nards got cramps, I just asked (David) to be aggressive on the last key plays and luckily we came out with a win," Del Rosario said, while adding that the first layup -- which cut Rain or Shine's lead to one -- was a play calling for David to survey the situation.
"That was for Jayson to create and to read. If he was not available, Von (Pessumal) was there and 'Miah' (Jeremiah Gray) was there.
"In the end game, no matter what you diagram, players will decide it no matter how you read the game and sometimes you just have to let them go. And I'm just happy for them that they shone and I hope it can create confidence in their respective careers as the go on."
For David, he was just waiting for his name to be called again, as he explained: "Inaasahan ko talaga na ako ang bubunutin. Sa nasa utak ko, stay ready lagi. Hindi mo alam kung kailan ang pagkakataon, tulad ngayon."
David confirmed that the play wasn't exactly for him to drive strong to the hoop.
"Actually, hind sa akin iyon. Ako lang ang ball-handler at that time," he added.
"Wala akong nakita na libre. Naka deny ang shooters namin. Si Von, si 'Miah' naka-deny. Nakita ko open lane, so layup na ako. Iyong winning shot, na-rebound ni 'Miah, nakita ko na-rebound na niya, so takbo na ako."
His heroics were especially meaningful, with his loved ones among the crowd that packed the venue to the rafters.
"Sobrang saya ko," he related. "Sakto nanonood ang magulang ko at baby ko at fiancé ko. Sumakto pa."
He added it was the first time his parents were at a Ginebra game where he was actually fielded in.
Like the rest of the team, David has been a work in progress during the Tour.
Del Rosario has been trying to play him as a point guard, since that is where Ginebra needs help with Scottie Thompson and Stanley Pringle both out -- and the transition hasn't been easy.
"His decision-making -- even in the past game, he had a lot of turnovers -- that's what he needs to improve," Del Rosario noted, as an area where David had needed improvement.
"Right now, we're asking him to play point guard at times, which is off-position for him. It's part of his growth."
Believing he an the team are slowly getting there, David said: "Lagi naman bino-boost ang confidence namin ni coach Richard, simula nung umpisa. Sa simula nag struggle ako kasi ang tagal namin na hindi naglalaro.
"Versus San Miguel, first time namin maglaro as a group. Kinakalawang kami. So ngayon, feeling namin nakukuha namin ang laro namin. Sana magtuloy-tuloy pa."
Again, it's just a preseason tournament, but what the Kings have been showing over the past few games fits right into their personality.
They've also come a long way from their opening game, where they lost big to San Miguel Beermen.
"I think the mentality of the players (has improved)," Del Rosario said. "I just wanted them to play with confidence.
"At the start, we only had nine practices and it was the first time we played in a real game with the 3x3 players. And then we lost Stanley (Pringle).
"We thought Stanley would be able to play but he couldn't, so it was a big adjustment. But then after that, we just realized what we had and what we had to work with, and now everybody is contributing.
"It's very Ginebra style, what's happening. We can only control our effort in the game. Whatever the other team does, our effort has to be consistent.
"Even if we're down we've just got to stick together. That's really been the culture of our team. It's just a collective effort, even with the coaches. Coach Olsen (Racela), coach Freddie (Abuda), coach Kirk (Collier) -- everybody is giving inputs.
"That's why we're getting good results."