The Thunder lived and died and lived again on charities in the last two minutes of the contest then went on to steal the victory with a tough defense against the Beermen.
Import Tony Lang fired seven of Red Bulls last eight points and Davonn Harp, who did a splendid defensive job against SMB ace Danny Ildefonso, sealed the Thunders triumph with a crucial offensive rebound and a charity in the last 3.5 seconds, 80-78.
The Beermen sued for time and worked out one offensive thrust for either a game-winner or an equalizer but Danny Seigle fumbled on a baseline drive which was partially blocked by Lang.
It was a stirring victory for the Thunder and a smashing debut in the championship series for the sophomore ballclub which came into the game lacking in title playoff experience against a master champion.
But Red Bull didn't only overcome the odds but proved steadier in the clutch.
Earlier, Alaska Milk, the leagues most dominant team in the 90s which missed by a single game what could have been a first finals stint in four conferences, settled for the next best thing as it repulsed Purefoods, 96-89, to gain second runner-up honors .
The Aces took control most of the way but had to fend off a fourth-quarter chase by the Hotdogs to complete the win that gave the team its 10th third-place trophy. The Uytengsu franchise became the only second ballclub to have won at least 10 second runner-up honors after San Miguel Beer which has 11 in its treasure chest.
"For a team like San Miguel, this wont be an accomplishment. But this is already a big accomplishment for my team. We stepped forward from the All-Filipino and were hoping to step forward again in the third conference," said Alaska coach Tim Cone.