In the third quarter, none of China Team's starters took the court.
For the Philippines, only their center was replaced by a backup Power Forward. The other four players were all starters.
When the Russian commentator saw this, he suddenly understood.
"No wonder China Team's starters played so hard in the first half, without conserving their energy at all. This was their plan: if they could put the game out of reach in the first half, they wouldn't have to play in the second."
The Filipino commentator gave a bitter smile.
"We have to admit that China Team is simply too strong. The Philippines are no match for them. We may not want to admit it, but there's no denying that this game is already over."
"If there's anything left to watch, it's whether the Philippines can narrow the gap when their starters face China's reserves."
Of course, the Filipino commentator was only trying to delude himself.
China Team had led by more than 80 points at halftime, and the Philippines had completely lost their fighting spirit. So even with their starters facing China's reserves, the gap didn't shrink.
It only kept growing.
Beating the Philippines wasn't anything special for us, so there was nothing to get excited about.
But the postgame press conference was another matter.
Everyone knew about Reyes's previous decision to resign after taking responsibility for a loss.
"Losing is losing. What's there to explain?"
On the surface, though, he said nothing. After a moment, he could only shake his head.
Reyes's face had turned ashen. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer.
The Philippines had completely lost their fighting spirit.
The Chinese fans, on the other hand, were thrilled.
Then he quickly turned to the others and said, "Does anyone else have a