| Year: | 1979 |
| Conference Name: | Invitational championship |
| Duration: | November 20 – December 15, 1979 |
| Tv: | MBS |
| Champion: | Toyota Tamaraws |
| Runner-Up: | Walk Tall Jeansmakers |
| Prevconf Link: | 1978 PBA Invitational championship |
| Prevconf Year: | 1978 |
| Nextconf Link: | 1980 PBA Invitational championship |
| Nextconf Year: | 1980 |
| Prev Conf: | 1979 Open |
| Prev Conf Link: | 1979 PBA Open Conference |
| Next Conf: | 1980 Open |
| Next Conf Link: | 1980 PBA Open Conference |
The 1979 PBA Invitational championship was the third conference of the 1979 PBA season. It started on November 20 and ended on December 15, 1979.
Toyota Tamaraws won the Invitational crown for the third straight year, defeating arch rival Crispa Walk Tall Jeans, three games to one.
The following format will be observed for the duration of the tournament:
| width=15px bgcolor="#98fb98" | Qualified for finals | |
| Qualified for battle for third |
| width=15 |
| width=200 | Team standings! | width=20 | W! | width=20 | L! | width=35 | PCT! | width=25 | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 1 | .800 | -- | |||||||
| 2 | 4 | 1 | .800 | -- | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | 2 | .600 | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 2 | |||||||
| 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3 | |||||||
| 6 | 1 | 4 | .200 | 3 |
| Year: | 1979 |
| Conference: | Invitational Championship |
| Champion Games: | 3 |
| Runnerup Games: | 1 |
| Date: | December 8 to 15, 1979 |
| Next Conf: | 1980 Open |
| Prev Conf: | 1979 Open |
The 1979 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Invitational Championship finals was the best-of-5 basketball championship series of the 1979 PBA Invitational Conference, and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. Toyota and Crispa Redmanizers played for the 25th championship contested by the league.
Toyota Tamaraws won the championship.
The following scoring summary is written in a line score format, except that the quarter numbers are replaced by game numbers.
| align=left width=28% | Team | width=6% | Game 1 | width=6% | Game 2 | width=6% | Game 3 | width=6% | Game 4 | width=6% | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota | 101 | 123 | 107 | 98 | 3 | ||||||
| Walk Tall | 129 | 95 | 102 | 87 | 1 | ||||||
Crispa played with only one import as Irvin Chatman was in sick bay. Toyota led by 10 points, 36-26 at the end of the first quarter. The Tamaraws went full steam in the second quarter and posted a 22-point lead at the half. With Andy Fields and Bruce King running rings around the lone Walk Tall Jeans import Bernard Harris, the Tamaraws upped their lead to 27 at the close of the third quarter, 94-67. Early in the fourth, Crispa coach Baby Dalupan went All-Filipino to signify he was throwing in the towel. With still 6:30 to go, Toyota held its biggest lead in the game at 37 points, 107-70. The Tamaraws outscored the Jeansmakers, 31-20, in the second quarter for a 52-42 halftime lead from which Crispa never recovered. The defending champions went on to post their biggest lead, 82-63,and then held off a rally by the Jeansmakers in the closing minutes.[2]
Robert Jaworski lobbed in seven straight points as Toyota tried to breakaway, 83-75, midway in the final quarter. The Tamaraws were up by four points when Andrew Fields capped a 9-4 binge with a towering dunkshot that took out the pressure, 94-85, with 1:54 to go.[3]