Xuân Đăng

HÀ NỘI — The Saigon Heat reclaimed the VBA crown after a convincing 84–67 victory over the Hanoi Buffaloes at Xuân Đỉnh Gymnasium on Sunday (September 27).

In Game 4 of the finals, the defending champions Hanoi Buffaloes once again faced the challenge of fighting their way out of a difficult position. Meanwhile, the visiting Saigon Heat held the psychological advantage, needing just one more win to claim their sixth championship. Both teams retained the same starting line-ups as their previous meeting three days earlier in HCM City.

In the first quarter, taking advantage of home-court support, the Buffaloes' key players quickly opened the scoring and moved ahead. However, as in previous encounters in the finals, despite taking the initiative early, the Buffaloes' leading scorers were repeatedly cut off by the disciplined  zone defence of the former VBA champions.

The hosts struggled to penetrate the visitors' defence, while Brandis Raley-Ross and Nguyễn Anh Kiệt repeatedly found ways through the Buffaloes' defence with their direct and fast-paced play. The Buffaloes therefore found themselves trailing 27–16.

In the second quarter, the home side's attacking found more struggles as two key players, AJ Bramah and Lian Ramiro, were both denied by Nyang Wek blocks. The Heat's defensive dominance allowed the visitors to extend their lead to as many as 20 points. Although the advantage was reduced somewhat following the hosts' efforts to respond, the visitors remained firmly in control at 44–30 before the break.

The Buffaloes continued to struggle offensively in the third quarter. Their scoreboard relied heavily on difficult shots and carefully converted free throws. On the other side, alongside their established key players, the visitor received many contributions from their bench players.

With 0.4 seconds left on the clock, Nguyên Huỳnh Phú Vinh made a hook shot from beyond the three-point line to strengthen Saigon Heat's advantage at 69–50. That shot proved crucial, making it even harder for the hosts to defend their title.

Entering the final quarter, Amir Gholizadeh revived the hosts' hopes with three consecutive three-pointers. However, after a timeout and tactical adjustments, head coach Vũ Thế Cang's side quickly restored control.

The visitors successfully shut down every attempt by the defending champions to close the gap. Whenever the Buffaloes scored, the Heat responded immediately to maintain a double-digit lead in the closing minutes.

Unable to overcome the deficit of nearly 20 points, head coach Matt Van Pelt and his players eventually suffered an 84–67 defeat at their home court .

Brandis Raley-Ross, the star who helped deliver the championship to Saigon Heat, was named Player of the Game and Finals MVP.

“We set our sights on the championship from the beginning of the season. However, turning that ambition into reality was not easy. Above all, I feel truly great and happy to have won the championship with Saigon Heat. I also want to thank the fans for always supporting and standing by the team,” Raley-Ross said.

Alongside the players' efforts, the finals also highlighted the defensive imprint of Saigon Heat head coach Vũ Thế Cang.

“Hanoi Buffaloes are a very strong team and they showed that throughout the season. Therefore, I studied all their games carefully during the regular season and playoffs to develop a defensive system specifically for them. This system worked effectively in the first two finals, but they figured it out in Game 3. So tonight, we made some adjustments to achieve the result we wanted,” said Cang.

With this championship, Cang becomes the first local head coach to win the VBA title. The young coach—born in 1997—has enjoyed an incredible journey with Saigon Heat: from a drafted rookie in 2021 to a champion as an assistant coach in 2022, and now the first local head coach to claim the VBA championship. 

With a 3–1 series victory, Saigon Heat officially became the 2026 VBA champions. Beyond the dramatic finals series, their return to the top further strengthened the “Ông 30” side's status as the most successful team in VBA history, with six championship titles. — VNS