Tenerife’s top basketball side’s dream of a first ever Spanish ACB championship ended at the weekend with defeat by Valencia in the best-of-five playoff semifinal.
After losing the first two games in Valencia, La Laguna Tenerife had the chance to even the tie by winning the two home fixtures in the Santiago Martín stadium and force a deciding fifth game. However, despite a spirited showing on Saturday night, Txus Vidorreta’s men went down 87-94 and missed out on the chance of a place in the final of the league widely acknowledged as the second best in the world after the NBA.
The third-game loss was particularly heartbreaking for the 5000+ fans who packed the stadium as the Canarians had raced to a 15-point lead against their big-budget opponents from Spain’s east coast and it looked as if a fourth game was on the cards.
Despite the disappointment, the season must be viewed as yet another massive success for the popular La Laguna club, which finished the regular campaign in third place – ahead of big names such as Barcelona, Baskonia and Unicaja – and reached the semifinals of the Cup, losing to eventual winners Unicaja. The success was repeated in Europe, with Vidorreta’s men reaching the semi-final of the Basketball Champions League.
To crown the impressive season, playmaker Marcelinho Huertas was voted MVP of the ACB League and included in the league’s ideal team, an outstanding achievement for the indefatigable 42-year-old Brazilian who continues to defy age with his on-court performances. In the quarter final against Joventut, Huertas netted an incredible 39 points, the highest score in an ACB playoff for 32 years.
Receiving the league’s MVP award in ceremony in La Laguna, a visibly emotional Huertas – a former Los Angeles Laker player – thanked head coach Vidorreta for placing his trust in him when he signed him back in 2019. “When it seemed by career might be at an end, Txus handed me the reins of his team and for that I thank him from the bottom of my heart” he said.
Photo: ACB
