# 2022 MPBL Finals

The 2022 MPBL Finals was the championship series of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League's (MPBL) 2022 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. In the best-of-five playoff, the North Division champion Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards defeated the South Division champion Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines, as they won the league's fourth championship. Byron Villarias named as the season's Finals MVP.
First-seeded Nueva Ecija (21–0) held homecourt advantage for the series, having a better record than Zamboanga (18–3). This marks the first Finals appearance for both teams.
This was the first Finals series in which neither team is based in Metro Manila.

## Background
### Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards

The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards finished the 2021 MPBL Invitational as runner-up after being defeated by the Basilan Peace Riders on a championship-winning basket in overtime. They finished the regular season with a 21–0 win-loss record, making them the first team to go undefeated in the regular season. Because of this, the Rice Vanguards were able to clinch the first seed overall and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, The Rice Vanguards easily won against the Marikina Shoemasters and the Pampanga Giant Lanterns both in two games each. In the Northern Division Finals, they met the 2021 season runner-up San Juan Knights, battling for the Northern Division title. In Game 1, the Rice Vanguards was defeated by the Knights for the first time this season, but they managed to win the next two games, bringing the Rice Vanguards to their first North Division title and first Finals appearance.

### Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines

The Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines ended their regular season with 18–3 win-loss record to become the top seed in the South Division and clinch homecourt advantage for the division playoffs. They easily defeated the Muntinlupa Cagers in the first round and then forced a Game 3 against the Bacolod Bingo Plus in the Division Semifinals. In the Division Finals, they faced the 2018 MPBL champion Batangas City Embassy Chill, where they lost the first game, but forced Game 3 and won, to claim the South Division title and bring Zamboanga to their first Finals appearance.

## Road to the Finals

| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (Northern Division Champion) | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards (Northern Division Champion) | | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines (Southern Division Champion) |
| Pos Teamvte Pld W L GB Qualification 1 Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards 21 21 0 — Playoffs 2 Pasig City MCW Sports 21 14 7 7 3 San Juan Knights 21 14 7 7 4 Pampanga Giant Lanterns 21 14 7 7 5 Bataan Risers 21 13 8 8 6 Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. 21 10 11 11 7 Quezon City MG 21 9 12 12 8 Marikina Shoemasters 21 8 13 13 9 Caloocan Excellence 21 6 15 15 10 Manila Stars 21 6 15 15 11 Makati × MNL Kingpin 21 2 19 19 Source: Standings Notes: 1 2 3 Pasig (2–0), San Juan (1–1), and Pampanga (0–2) are ranked based on head-to-head standings.1 2 Caloocan wins tiebreaker over Manila by head-to-head victory. 1st seed in the North, 1st best league record | Regular season | Regular season | Pos Teamvte Pld W L GB Qualification 1 Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines 21 18 3 — Playoffs 2 Batangas City Embassy Chill 21 17 4 1 3 Sarangani Marlins 21 16 5 2 4 GenSan Warriors 21 15 6 3 5 Bacolod Bingo Plus 21 14 7 4 6 Rizal Golden Coolers 21 10 11 8 7 Bacoor City Strikers 21 9 12 9 8 Muntinlupa Cagers 21 6 15 12 9 Imus City Bandera 21 5 16 13 10 Laguna Heroes 21 3 18 15 11 Mindoro Tams 21 1 20 17 Source: Standings 1st seed in the South, 2nd best league record |
| Defeated 8th-seeded Marikina Shoemasters, 2–0 | First Round | First Round | Defeated 8th-seeded Muntinlupa Cagers, 2–0 |
| Defeated 4th-seeded Pampanga Giant Lanterns, 2–0 | Division Semifinals | Division Semifinals | Defeated 5th-seeded Bacolod Bingo Plus, 2–1 |
| Defeated 3rd-seeded San Juan Knights, 2–1 | Division Finals | Division Finals | Defeated 2nd-seeded Batangas City Embassy Chill, 2–1 |

### Head-to-head matchup

* One PH IWantTFC
* August 8 9:00 pm
* Boxscore
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | 81–76 | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines |
| Scoring by quarter: 11–13, 27–16, 21–27, 22–20 |||
| Pts: Michael Juico 16 Rebs: Michael Mabulac 7 Asts: Hesed Gabo 13 | | Pts: Jaycee Marcelino, Jerald Bautista 15 Rebs: Chris Dumapig 12 Asts: Irven Palencia 5 |
* Nueva Ecija Coliseum, Palayan, Nueva Ecija

## Series summary

| Game | Date | Away team | Result | Home team | Venue |
| 1 | December 2 | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | 75–81 (0–1) | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Nueva Ecija Coliseum |
| 2 | December 5 | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | 74–75 (0–2) | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Nueva Ecija Coliseum |
| 3 | December 9 | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | 65–75 (2–1) | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum |
| 4 | December 12 | Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | 69–56 (3–1) | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines | Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum |

## Game summaries
### Game 1

* One PH One Sports+
* December 2 6:30 pm
* Boxscore
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–14, 14–16, 27–18, 25–27 |||
| Pts: Hesed Gabo 22 Rebs: Michael Juico 11 Asts: Hesed Gabo 6 | Pts: Chris Dumapig 15 Rebs: Jhaymo Enguilos 8 Asts: Jaycee Marcelino 8 |
| Nueva Ecija lead series, 1–0 |||
* Nueva Ecija Coliseum, Palayan, Nueva Ecija Referees: J. Belnas, R. Brila, J. Castroverde,

### Game 2

* One PH One Sports+
* December 5 6:30 pm
* Boxscore
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines |
| Scoring by quarter: 13–20, 24–18, 21–12, 17–24 |||
| Pts: Jay Collado 13 Rebs: Michael Juico, Will McAloney 9 Asts: Michael Mabulac 4 | Pts: Jaycee Marcelino 26 Rebs: Jaycee Marcelino 7 Asts: three players 4 |
| Nueva Ecija lead series, 2–0 |||
* Nueva Ecija Coliseum, Palayan, Nueva Ecija Referees: S. Pingolz, J. Ocfemia, B. Estroga,

### Game 3

* One PH One Sports+
* December 9 9:00 pm
* Boxscore
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–16, 12–22, 20–15, 17–22 |||
| Pts: Michael Mabulac 15 Rebs: Michael Mavulac, Will McAloney 8 Asts: Chris Bitoon 6 | Pts: Jaycee Marcelino 22 Rebs: Jaycee Marcelino 10 Asts: Jaycee Marcelino 9 |
| Nueva Ecija lead series 2–1 |||
* Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum, Zamboanga City Referees: A. Manzano, J. Macailo, E. Villarosa,

### Game 4

* One PH One Sports+
* December 12 6:30 pm
* Boxscore
| Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards | Zamboanga Family's Brand Sardines |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–15, 25–9, 9–16, 20–16 |||
| Pts: John Villarias 14 Rebs: John Villarias, JR Taganas 10 Asts: Hesed Gabo 9 | Pts: Jaycee Marcelino 17 Rebs: Jhaymo Enguilos, Ralph Tansingco 8 Asts: Jayvee Marcelino 3 |
| Nueva Ecija wins series 3–1 |||
* Mayor Vitaliano D. Agan Coliseum, Zamboanga City

## Broadcast notes

This marked the first year of Cignal TV's rights to the MPBL Finals. The series was broadcast on One PH and One Sports+ on television, and was also streamed via Facebook, YouTube, and Kumu.
| Game | One PH and One Sports+ (Delayed Telecast) | One PH and One Sports+ (Delayed Telecast) | One PH and One Sports+ (Delayed Telecast) |
| Game | Play-by-play | Analyst | Courtside reporter |
| Game 1 | Cedelf Tupas | Jayvee Gayoso | Mica Abesamis |
| Game 2 | Cedelf Tupas | Louie Gonzalez | Gianna Lianes |
| Game 3 | Migs Gomez | Javi Palaña | Sel Guevara and Sydney Crespo |
| Game 4 | Migs Gomez | Javi Palaña | Mica Abesamis and Sydney Crespo |

## Prizes

This season featured a new design for the championship trophy, steering away from a design modelled after the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy. Alongside the trophy, rings were given to the players of the championship-winning team.
The MPBL Finals Most Valuable Player Award and Coach of the Year awards are also given out during the trophy ceremony.