Struck by State-ownership, Shanghai Sharks Is Struggling without Sponsor
Two players in Guangdong Southern Tigers (广东宏远) and three in Shandong Lions (山东黄金) were fined and suspended by CBA last week for a brawl in their quarter-final playoff match. Guangdong, the defending champion, was barely touched by the punishment and extended their winning streak to 25 games after defeating Dongguan Leopards (东莞马可波罗) by 111 - 103 in their first semi-final match on Sunday. Everyone's happy in the in-form Guangdong side, even the two young players who were supposed to be put on the bench be there's a suspension or not. The two were fined RMB 70,000 ($ 10,239 USD) in all. This may not be a small sum for bench players, but their financial situation is head and shoulders above veterans like Liu Wei (刘炜) in the Shanghai team.
