Valencia beats Tenerife and shows its determination to make the most of Fonteta until the very end.

Valencia Basket is a missile aimed at the final. They have now achieved seven consecutive victories between the end of the regular season and the playoffs. The team refuses to close the Fonteta, on the brink of retirement, and moves steadily toward a final that would dignify the farewell of what has been their home in the ACB. Their latest triumph (83-65) was against La Laguna Tenerife, a very serious opponent but perhaps with fewer resources. On Thursday, once again at Fonteta (21:15), the second game.

Pedro Martínez has managed to prepare his team perfectly for the fight for the title, a word prohibited in the locker room, but one that increasingly has more believers in the old Fonteta. Valencia Basket maintains its basics, as the Barcelona coach likes to say, but has elevated the performance of a defense that allows them to rise in the betting odds.

Txus Vidorreta, one who knows the setup well, had carefully prepared how to stop the seemingly unstoppable: Jean Montero, who destroyed Gran Canaria in the quarterfinals. The Indautxu coach matched him up against Joan Sastre. He had studied in detail how to minimize the Dominican player, the best young player in the league, but he did not expect Chris Jones, who left Tenerife reeling with a stunning second quarter thanks to 13 points without a miss that boosted Valencia to their maximum lead (45-29).

However, Valencia Basket imposed its game not only through Jones’s fireworks, Pradilla’s baskets under the rim, who has become a differential player, or Montero’s flashes. Their strength, which makes them a serious title contender, is defense, their ability to limit Marcelinho Huertas and company to just 37 points in the first half. Their skill to maintain their cruising speed, always aiming for 100 points, while simultaneously significantly limiting their opponent’s shooting options.

Valencia is a team that has more possessions and is also diligent on defense. Vidorreta tried to manage Marcelinho (42 years old), but his opponent’s constant rhythm didn’t allow for much reprieve, and he quickly had to return him to the court. La Laguna Tenerife, groggy at times, rallied thanks to Doornekamp’s pride, who hit three triples that kept his team within a reasonable distance on the scoreboard.

Tenerife did not finish in third place in the regular league by chance. They are a difficult team to dominate, very well-drilled, very rounded, and they know how to make the most of their qualities, probably fewer than those of other glitzier teams, but they shine under Vidorreta’s guidance. Their start in the third quarter (50-45), again pressuring Valencia, was a demonstration. La Laguna does not give up. The aurinegro team emerged holding a banner: we will not surrender. Jaime Fernández, ferocious on defense, could be the carrier.

Marcelinho may not score 39 points like he did in the first playoff game, but he doesn’t experience the anxiety of scoring. He has much more in his arsenal. Many gifts for his teammates. Insufficient in this match. His 42 years old seem not to matter, just as the average age of 32.4 years for this roster seems not to matter, at least in this opening of the series. They will need to prove that they can withstand a five-game duel. Valencia will push this group of veterans to the limit.