For 40 minutes of relentless action, time stood still for the nation and then it celebrated as one at the end of it.
It wasn't even the championship itself, only a trip to the finals and the coveted berth to the World Cup but the Gilas Pilipinas' gut-wrenching 86-79 win over South Korea meant so much to every Filipino.
Watch a video snippet of the last two minutes of the game between Philippines and South Korea courtesy of Basketball TV.