The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots are P. LEAGUE+ Champions for the first time, defeating the Taipei Fubon Braves in the league’s first-ever seven-game Finals series.

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This historic title comes after two heartbreaking losses in major championship games. The Pilots fell to the New Taipei Kings in five games in the 2023–24 P. LEAGUE+ Finals, then lost the 2025 East Asia Super League (EASL) Championship in March to Japan’s Hiroshima Dragonflies. This time, they finally finished the job.

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Taoyuan entered the 2024–25 postseason as the No. 1 overall seed after finishing the regular season 18–6. With a smaller field of teams this year, the top seed earned a direct spot in the Finals, which also secured Taoyuan a return to the 2025–26 EASL season. In the previous EASL campaign, the Pilots made a surprise run to the Final Four and upset Japanese powerhouse Ryukyu Golden Kings in the semifinals before falling in the final.

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Taoyuan’s title bid was boosted by a dominant regular season, bringing in a haul of individual accolades. Lu Chun-Hsiang won his second straight MVP award, Alec Brown was named Import Player of the Year, and Li Chia-Kang took home both Most Improved Player and Sixth Man of the Year. Head coach Iurgi Caminos earned his second consecutive Coach of the Year honor, and all three players were named to the All-P. LEAGUE+ Team.

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Despite entering the Finals as favorites, the Pilots had to fight from behind throughout the series. They lost Games 1, 3, and 5, needing wins in Games 2, 4, and 6 to stay alive and force a decisive Game 7.

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Trailing for most of the game, Taoyuan remained down by multiple possessions well into the fourth quarter. But the Pilots rallied, eventually taking an 84–82 lead with 4:40 remaining. After a series of back-and-forth baskets, Taoyuan pulled ahead for good thanks to a clutch side-step corner three from Lu Chun-Hsiang. Lu was named Finals MVP after posting 20 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists — becoming the first local player in P. LEAGUE+ history to earn the honor.