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With games between teams of similar caliber, little things make a big difference.

Facing being swept out of the inaugural Asean Basketball League finals, Satria Muda Britama came out firing on Sunday. Every time it built up a head of steam, though, something innocous — a stray finger, a TV timeout — brought the party to a halt.

The Philippines Patriots, armed with a riposte for every Satria Muda run, won 75-67 in Game 3 to claim the first ABL championship. Victory handed the Patriots a 3-0 series sweep in the finals and six wins in six meetings with the Indonesian Basketball League champion.

“We’re very proud to have won the first ABL championship. Congratulations to Satria Muda for giving us a very tough fight,” Patriots owner Mikee Romero said. “Two years ago, three years ago, we fought against them. It’s a very different team now. The level of Indonesian basketball is getting higher and higher every year, and also the other Asean countries we’ve faced.”

The Indonesians roared out of the blocks, jumping out to a 14-5 lead midway through the first quarter. Its momentum came to an abrupt halt, though, when American center Nakiea Miller took an inadvertent thumb to his left eye. A TV timeout followed, during which Miller spent the entire break flat on his back.

He departed for the rest of the quarter, leaving Satria Muda to face the growing threat posed by Jason Dixon without its best post player. Dixon largely had the run of the paint, even when Miller returned to see out the contest with his one good eye.

Dixon scored 28 points, four more than Games 1 and 2 combined, on 13-of-22 shooting to go with 12 rebounds, eight of which were offensive. His night, which included an impressive array of mid-range jumpers, upstaged high-flying teammate Gabe Freeman, who finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds despite making just six of his 27 shots.

“When you have a big man who’s so dominant like that, it takes a load off my shoulders,” said Freeman, who had seven double-doubles in as many games for the Patriots. “Now I don’t have to enforce myself as much, and when he’s off, I can enforce myself. We take a load off each other’s shoulders.”

As the Philippines began to pull away in the third quarter, Satria Muda made its second charge. Led by Alex Hartman, it began showing more fight following a languid second quarter.

Hartman and Freeman traded 3-point plays on four straight possessions. Jerwin Gaco nearly set off a brawl after an intentional foul on Rony Gunawan. Rony made one of two free throws and hit a 3-pointer on the next possession to draw Satria Muda within 48-45, only for a TV timeout — followed by successive Patriots baskets — to kill the momentum.

“We’re very disappointed. We lost on our home court and they swept us,” Rony said. “I know we achieved our target of reaching the final, but losing 3-0, man ...”

Rony led Satria Muda with 20 points and seven rebounds, the second 20-point night for an Indonesian player after Amin Prihantono’s 22 against Brunei. Hartman scored 14 points and Miller had 13 points, seven rebounds and seven blocks.