2012 » The Clippers (4-1) are just two points from being undefeated

Chinese Super League clubs spent more than $350 million on high-profile foreign players in the winter transfer window and as soon as the summer window opened in June, Shanghai SIPG paid more than $60 million for Brazilian striker Hulk.While the leagues profile has soared, some question if China is paying over the odds.In March, CIES Observatory,a Swiss-based research group of the International Centre for Sports Studies, released a study of winter transfers that suggested Guangzhou Evergrandes $47 million purchase of Jackson Martinez from Atletico Madrid and Jiangsu Sunings $32 million signing of Ramires from Chelsea were among the over-priced deals.There has been more investment made by Chinese teams in recent times, Shandong Luneng General Manager Dong Jan told The Associated Press in a recent interview. It is important to find the right players and make the right investment. Talented foreign players can make a difference but good players obviously cost money.Karish Andrews, partner in the sports business group at law firm Lewis Silkin, believes it is inevitable that Chinese clubs have to pay above market value.Chinese teams are trying to entice players away from the lure of playing in the Champions League, which remains the elite tournament in club football. Wages and fees have to be high, he said. That is also a consequence of having to compete with English Premier League clubs who are richer than ever now that the new TV deals have kicked in.It has resulted in a growing number of stars playing in China, including Brazilians Alex Teixeira and Ramires, Argentinas Ezequiel Lavezzi and others such as Gervinho, Freddy Guarin, Jackson Martinez and Asamoah Gyan.Most players signed by China were in the shop window prior to arriving, said China-based player agent Christopher Atkins, who added that Chinese clubs were driving up the contracts. The more they spend, the more (European) clubs are automatically raising their price upon hearing of interest from China.The spending has had some positive impacts. No Chinese Super League club had won the Asian Champions League until Guangzhou Evergrande, which started the recent wave of spending, lifted the trophy in 2013 and again in 2015. And, for the first time, China has two teams in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League this season.The average attendance in the Chinese Super League is close to 26,000 this year, up from 22,000.Investment is also being made in youth development following the desire of president Xi Jinping that the country become a power in the worlds most popular sport.There may be more value for Chinese investors in buying European clubs rather than players according to Daniel Lowen, a lawyer at specialist sports law firm Couchmans, because the location of the purchasing party is not a major issue.In June Tony Xia bought English club Aston Villa, which was relegated from the Premier League, for $87 million. Retail group Suning paid 270 million euros (then $306 million) for an almost 70 percent stake in Italian powerhouse Inter Milan.Dr Tony Xias acquisition of Aston Villa is a case in point, Lowen said. The final purchase price was a fraction of the sum former owner Randy Lerner was understood to have originally been seeking.For Chinese investors, the purchase of clubs is often not just about football but strengthening brands in the domestic market.Sunings acquisition of a controlling stake in Inter Milan is part of its global strategy in the highly competitive e-commerce space, Lowen said. Its association with a famous football club in Europe can assist in cultivating loyal customers in the Chinese marketplace.Cheapest Jerseys . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Cheap Jerseys From China . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. http://www.stitchedcheapnfljerseyschina.com/ . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Cheap Jerseys Paypal . R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Blue Jackets to a franchise-record for consecutive wins with a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings. Wholesale Jerseys China . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race.The San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers might have two of the NBAs most explosive offensive players in Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul, but defense will be the deciding factor when the teams meet Saturday at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.The Spurs and Clippers traveled to the Alamo City after road victories late Friday night. The Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies 99-88 and the Spurs handled the Utah Jazz 100-86, avenging a 110-95 loss to the Jazz on Tuesday in San Antonio.That loss was the first at home for the Spurs this season. It took until its 79th game and its 40th of 41 home games for San Antonio to fall at the AT&T Center last season.The Spurs (5-1), who have been without starting shooting guard Danny Green all season because of a left quad sprain, kept point guard Tony Parker back in San Antonio with right knee soreness. Parker is expected to miss about a week, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told the San Antonio Express-News on Friday.Parker hurt his knee against Golden State (in the season opener on Oct. 25), Popovich said. He hyperextended it and its just bruised basically, so we are giving him time to heal.Parker, who missed an earlier game at home against New Orleans, is averaging 5.5 points and 4.0 assists per game in his four appearances with the Spurs this season. Patty Mills started at the point on Friday at Utah and scored 16 points, hitting six of his first seven shots from the field.Leonard led San Antonio in scoring with 29 points. He has been the Spursscoring leader in all six of their games.In Fridays win over Memphis, Paul tied a season high with 27 points andd led the team in scoring for the fourth time in five games.dddddddddddd Los Angeles also got 21 rebounds from center DeAndre Jordan, almost twice his season average (11.3) entering the game.The Clippers (4-1) are just two points from being undefeated. Theyve enjoyed a 12.5-point winning margin in their four victories, with their only loss on a last-gasp bucket by Oklahoma Citys Russell Westbrook in an 85-83 defeat at home on Wednesday.Los Angeles is shooting 41.5 percent from the floor (tied for 28th) and just 28.9 percent from 3-point range, the latter ranked 26th in the NBA. The Clippers are 20th in offense at 100 points per game and have twice score 88 points or less.I dont think we are worried -- we will eventually break out, Los Angeles forward Blake Griffin said after the loss to Oklahoma City. It is not something we cant figure out. It is early in the season and it is a frustrating loss, but we are going correct our mistakes. We will use this as a learning process.Playing against the Spurs seems like an unlikely scenario for an offensive explosion. San Antonio has allowed just 94 points per game in its six games.The Spurs beat the Clippers two of the three times the teams played in the 2015-16 season, with both teams winning their games at home.Parker became the youngest player to ever appear in a game for the Spurs when he suited up on Oct. 30, 2001, against the Clippers. The 19-year-old Frenchman had nine points and three assists in his NBA debut. ' ' '