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jun 25 20262nd Liga Endesa title for the orange squad, just one loss throughout the entire Playoff, and many more details about a team that led in almost everything. Check out the champion's details!
Their second title in history… and first domestic double
Almost ten years after winning the Liga Endesa Playoff Final at La Fonteta against Real Madrid (1-3), Valencia Basket writes its name in the Liga Endesa record books once again. With this second title, the orange squad ties Asisa Joventut as the fourth most decorated team in the competition.
That 2017 conquest was already epic: despite finishing the regular season in third place and without home-court advantage, with Real Madrid finishing first, the Valencians stormed the rival's fortress in the second game (79-86) and sealed the deal with two victories in front of their home crowd.
Additionally, Valencia Basket won the Supercopa Endesa this same season, the second in their history after the one won in 2017. For the first time, the orange squad lifted two domestic titles in the same campaign.
A Record-Breaking Playoff Final
The Valencian team set records both for points per game in a Playoff Final, averaging 102.5 points, and for rating, accumulating 121.5 credits per game.
The previous record for points per game in a Playoff Final edition stood at 101, averaged by Barcelona in 1990 after scoring 102, 94, and 107 in the three games against RAM Joventut. The rating record was much more recent: Real Madrid achieved an average of 111.7 in last year's final precisely against Valencia Basket, a mark that the orange squad now surpasses comfortably.
And Just One Loss Throughout the Entire Playoff
Pedro Martínez's team navigated the decisive phase almost flawlessly: 8 wins and just one loss. That loss came against Barcelona at the Roig Arena in the first game of the Playoff Final. Until then, their path had been spotless, with a 2-0 sweep of Surne Bilbao in the Quarterfinals and a 3-0 sweep of Asisa Joventut in the Semifinals.
The Rematch That Waited Over Twenty Years
You have to go back to 2003 to find the previous, and only, Playoff Final between Valencia Basket and Barcelona. The Blaugrana had secured first place in the regular season and the orange squad, just like this season, reached second place. That final, however, had only one master: Barcelona won the first two games at the Palau and sealed it on Valencia's court to claim the championship with a 3-0 sweep.
Pedro Martínez Repeats as Champion
The coach now has his second Liga Endesa title, both with the orange club. Like Valencia Basket's, the first came in the 2017 Playoff. That year he eliminated in the quarterfinals, 2-1, the team that would once again be his rival at the top this season: Barcelona.
Furthermore, the Catalan coach enters the select club of coaches who have won more than one Liga Endesa as head coach. Only these coaches are part of that select group: Pedro Ferrándiz (12), Lolo Sáinz (10), Aíto García Reneses (9), Pablo Laso (6), Xavi Pascual (4), Antoni Serra (3), Dusko Ivanovic (3), Joaquín Hernández (2), Clifford Luyk (2), Svetislav Pesic (2), Ignacio Pinedo (2), Sergio Scariolo (2), Sarunas Jasikevicius (2), and Chus Mateo (2).
But Pedro Martínez's merit doesn't end there. The orange coach is the 2nd coach in ACB history to win a final against both Real Madrid and Barcelona. The first was Lolo Sáinz, who won three Liga Endesa titles against FC Barcelona (1984, 1986, 1991), one against Real Madrid (1992), and another against Joventut Badalona (1985).
Josep Puerto, the Last Survivor
Of the sixteen players who wore the orange jersey this season, only one repeats from the 2017 achievement: Josep Puerto. That squad featured legends like Bojan Dubljevic, Sam Van Rossom, and Rafa Martínez, with a decisive Joan Sastre in the fourth game. Among them appeared a very young Puerto, who made his Liga Endesa debut that year with the club of his life and barely played two games in the regular season.
From Dubljevic's MVP to Montero's
If Dubljevic was the MVP of that 2017 Playoff Final, the torch now passes to the point guard. Jean Montero has been the beacon of a Valencia Basket infected with his joyful, fast-paced, and unpredictable basketball, the Dominican's trademark.
The orange playmaker averaged 23.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists for 30.3 rating credits in the Playoff Final, becoming the most complete MVP since Arvydas Sabonis.
Leading in (Almost) Everything
First in rating, points, rebounds, assists, and three-pointers made; second in steals and blocks. Their dominance was captured in one stat: they closed the regular season with a +/- of… +389! To put it in perspective, the second-best mark was Real Madrid's, the regular season leaders, which stood at +254. That's 135 fewer.
The Story of a Season
Consistency was their hallmark. From matchday 3 through matchday 29, the orange squad never dropped below second place. They reached the top for six consecutive matchdays (from 5 to 11) and reclaimed first place for a week after matchday 14. Their only stumble came on matchday 30, when the loss to Kosner Baskonia relegated them to third place, but by the next matchday they had already recovered second position, finishing the regular season with four consecutive wins.
