As the final buzzer sounded, jubilation and excitement filled the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last Sunday. The Westports Malaysia Dragons have just beaten their rival Singapore Slingers in Game 5 of the ASEAN Basketball League Finals.

Pure joy and ecstasy were seen all over the court as the celebration for the Dragons have already started.

On the other end of the court however, agony and defeat were etched on the faces of the Singapore Slingers. No celebration, no confetti, no trophy, and no championship. As the entire Malaysian crowd was ready for a coronation, they were just about ready to leave.

Most of the Slingers sat frozen on the bench as though the shock of the loss overwhelmed them. A few players shook hands and hugged. In the end, that was all that they could do – pat each other on the back after a long grueling season capped off by a stunning defeat.

And yet, amid the pain, the loss, and the disappointment, there is also reflection.

“Beyond proud.”

Those were the first two words that came out of the mouth of point guard Kris Rosales after the game. “Some people didn’t think we could get this far,” he said. “We didn’t win it but we definitely got to the point where we wanted to be. We just didn’t execute and we came up one game short.”

The Slingers had one of their worst games of the year in Game 5. They only scored a total of 65 points, shot a dismal 30 percent from the field, including 2-for-15 from beyond the arc. Their locals Wu Qingde and Wong Wei Long couldn’t find their mark all night. Rosales on the other hand, did have a solid outing with 22 points, but overall, his team struggled offensively.

“I think we came out slow, our defense was kinda lackadaisical so that gave us a slow start on offense,” explained Rosales. “Because good defense leads to good offense for us. We weren’t playing really good D and it kinda dug us in a hole.”

Malaysia’s big four of Johnson, Godfrey, Wright, and Brickman all tallied double-digit scoring as the Slingers’ defense was nowhere to be found. As a result, the Dragons are champions while the Slingers have come up short.

The Dragons’ celebrations continued on the court, but now, Rosales and the rest of the Slingers finally stood up and started shaking each other’s hands. It was the first time in Slingers franchise history that they got into the ABL Finals. A loss is a loss, but they were still proud of what they accomplished in the team’s sixth year in the league.

“Personally, it’s my first time in the Finals, first time in a Game 5. Everything that I’ve experienced today, I’ve never experienced before so I learned today no matter what, win or lose,” Rosales said with pride.

“For the Slingers, this is their first Finals as well. Now I think they know how it feels. Next year they’ll be back, they’ll know what to do.”

After the Slingers hugged and congratulated each other after a long grueling season, Malaysia’s Reggie Johnson came towards their bench. Now, it’s no secret that the Dragons and Slingers despise each other but here was Johnson, the man the Slingers tried desperately to stop the entire series, the man who had countless stair-downs against Justin Howard and Xavier Alexander, and the man who had just won the championship, coming over to acknowledge and respect his opponents. Johnson also happened to be the first man who stopped celebrating and walked over to the Slingers bench and shook each of their hands.

Delvin Goh was on the tail end of that bench and Johnson leaned over and whispered words of encouragement for the young player. Goh, who was one of the original Slingers when the organization started out, had a terrific season despite the loss in the end.

“Man, if they continue to work as hard as they are they can be in the Finals again,” Rosales said about the young local players on his team. “A lot of locals here in Singapore are really good. I see them work hard every day and I can see them back again if they just keep working hard.”

Moral victories are never fun. A championship is a championship and a loss is still a loss. Still, the Singapore Slingers have nothing to be ashamed of this ABL season.

Before the Slingers walked off the court that day, they had to do one last thing. They turned towards their beloved crowd behind their bench. Most of their fans got on a bus earlier that day and traveled six hours just to watch their team play. They shouted, screamed, and cried with the Slingers that day.

Howard, Alexander, Wu, Rosales, and the rest of the Slingers looked up on the stands and put their hands together for the crowd and for the entire country of Singapore.

Singapore would have loved to hoist the championship trophy in the end, but in this particular instant with the Slingers and its fans congratulating each other after the season, this moment was still theirs to keep.