A 40–0 start.
It was safe to say this was historic.
The tens of thousands of fans in the arena were as excited as if it were New Year's in China. Every last one of them was on their feet watching the game.
Even the Saudi King, who had come to watch in person, was excitedly standing in his private box.
At the start, the fans were too excited to sit down. When the score reached 9–0, they thought they'd sit down once the other team scored.
But they waited and waited—for nearly half a quarter—and the score became 40–0.
Now, look at Reyes.
He stood motionless with his arms folded, but if you looked up at his face, you'd see that it was livid.
His entire face looked ashen, like a stone carving.
Clearly, his feelings were beyond description.
He was furious and humiliated.
Helpless and despairing.
All these tangled emotions came together, forming a tragic song of shame across his face.
He'd thought that even if they couldn't beat China Team, the players could at least give it their all, especially with him rousing them on.
Besides, given the Philippines' strength and Clarkson's return, they'd lost to China Team by only three points the last time they played.
Even with Wang Yi and the others back, they still had a chance of winning if they fought hard.
But less than eight minutes into the first quarter, they were down 40–0.
It was easy to imagine how furious, shocked, humiliated, and unwilling he felt.
What infuriated him most was that China Team had gone straight to a full-court press.
What the hell kind of team did that? They weren't playing by the rules!
And they'd been pressing them for seven minutes without letting up.
Weren't they worried they'd run