Valencia clinches historic title success as Real Madrid falls

In one of the most shocking stories in Spanish Basketball, Valencia has defeated Real Madrid to win the 2017 ACB Liga Endesa. An 87-76 victory in Game 4 handed Valencia a 3-1 series win and allowed the club to claim an historic first ever league title.

Real Madrid, the defending champs and record holding 33-time title holders, were hot favourites heading into this series, but Valencia has been excellent. After dropping Game 1 in the Spanish capital, the club has been in control and won three consecutive games, including Game 3 and Game 4 at home.

Indeed, the team wrapped up the championship in front of its own fans. The game was tight through the first quarter as Los Blancos gained a one-point advantage at 19-20. In the second frame, Valencia started to dominate, pouring in 29 points and stopping Madrid at 11. It was a massive quarter, arguably the biggest in the club’s history. It went a long way to settling the title and give the hosts a 48-31 lead through the long break.

The inevitable Real Madrid response arrived in the third act as the visitors won the period 19-25 to reduce the deficit to 67-56 through thirty minutes. With a double-digit advantage, Valencia stayed cool and in control during the fourth quarter to seal the win.

Joan Sastre led the win with 19 points, while Will Thomas added 12 points and Antoine Diot 11 points.

Sergio Llull pushed Madrid, but his game-high 23 points could not force the losing effort to win the game.