MANILA, Philippines -- Barangay Ginebra made sure that they would not disappoint the thousands of fans who showed up to the Philippine Arena for Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup finals.

The Gin Kings were backed by a record crowd in their quest to defeat the Bay Area Dragons in the deciding game of the series, with 54,589 fans attending the contest at the Bocaue venue.

It was the largest crowd in the history of the league, eclipsing the old attendance record of 54,086 fans, set in Game 7 of the 2017 PBA Governors' Cup finals, where the Gin Kings outlasted the Meralco Bolts, 101-96.

On Sunday night, Ginebra again emerged triumphant. A big second quarter fueled their 114-99 rout of the Dragons, and the Gin Kings rebuffed all of Bay Area's attempts at a fightback. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the crowd at the Philippine Arena was in a celebratory mood.

• GAME RECAP: Ginebra overpowers Bay Area in Game 7 to rule Commissioner's Cup

"Our guys were really locked in from the very first minute. I really feel that they could feel the energy of the crowd, the 54,000 that were here," Ginebra coach Tim Cone said after the game. "Just from the very first basket, when we scored, when Justin [Brownlee] scored on that first basket … It's hard to explain, but you could just feel the energy of the players just go up."

"The energy from the crowd really boosted us to levels I don't think we thought we could get to, against this team," he added.

Ironically, Cone admitted that the Gin Kings did not want to play in a Game 7. They had the Dragons on the ropes in Game 6 last Wednesday, taking a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter before their offense dried up down the stretch. Myles Powell took charge for Bay Area in an 87-84 win that forced a deciding contest.

Ginebra was "angry" about that result, Cone said, and that translated to a fast start in Game 7. Combined with the energy provided by the crowd, and the Gin Kings had enough in the tank to pull away early and keep Bay Area at bay for the rest of the game.

• READ: Game 7 sets new PBA attendance record

"We kept saying at half time, we're gonna see them make runs. We're gonna see them make runs," Cone said of the Dragons. "It's all gonna be about us keeping our poise, keeping our poise throughout the whole second half."

"But we never really saw that run, and again, I think that's a function of the crowd," he said. "The fact that the crowd just kept us at a level where we weren't letting down. They wouldn't let us let down."

For the Gin Kings, there was no doubt that the record-breaking crowd was the difference-maker in Game 7. Bay Area had weathered the impact of the "barangay" in the first six games of the series, notably in Game 6 where they silenced a crowd of over 22,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum.

But with the majority of the 54,589 fans actively cheering against them, the Dragons were never able to get into a rhythm. Powell tried to spark a comeback in the third quarter, but it was snuffed out quickly: LA Tenorio knocked down back-to-back three-pointers that kept Ginebra comfortably ahead.

Afterward, the Gin Kings, led by their Ginebra team governor Alfrancis Chua, paid tribute to the fans.

• READ: Powell stars as Bay Area forces Game 7 vs. Ginebra

"At sa lahat ng nanood, grabe kayo," Chua said. "Lahat na-scout nila, pero kayo, hindi nila na-scout. Wala silang ganyan sa China. Sa Pilipinas lang meron."

"Whenever we were struggling a little bit in the game, they cheered, and hearing those Ginebra chants, they gave us a lot of fuel tonight. 54,000-plus, it was amazing to see," added Brownlee, who scored 34 points in the win. "Look up at the crowd, you know, it's just amazing, and I'm just happy that we got the win tonight."

Cone, who has now coached in front of the two biggest crowds in PBA history, said he was "fortunate" to have gotten the victories each time. Now the owner of 25 PBA championships, Cone continues to be amazed by the Ginebra fans and their support of the team.

"It's really the crowd," he said. "They're the ones that lift all of us, including myself. You have great responsibility. You have to take care of it."

"What's that Spider-Man saying? With great power comes great responsibility. And our crowd has the power, so we have the responsibility to do that."

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