O’Neal Takes Fine in Stride

Shaquille O’Neal had a typically sing-song, nonchalant response to the league’s announcement Monday that it had fined him $10,000 for his derogatory remarks about the officials after last week’s victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

“I only got fined 10?” O’Neal said loudly, before launching into song. “La-la-la-la!”

After the Atlanta game, in which O’Neal was burdened with foul trouble from the first quarter, O’Neal said the officials were “idiots” and should be replaced.

This is O’Neal’s second $10,000 fine this season--the first was for his November fight with Charles Barkley--and Coach Phil Jackson was fined $5,000 this season for criticizing the officials’ treatment of O’Neal.

O’Neal was also fined $10,000 last season for calling the officials “cheaters” after a loss at Seattle.

“I can’t complain about the NBA tax,” O’Neal said Monday. “I don’t complain about FICA, I don’t complain about income tax, I don’t complain about the NBA tax. It is what it is, what can you do, what can you do about it?

“It’s a David Stern tax.”

Jackson smiled when he was asked if he’d help pay O’Neal’s fine.

“No,” he said. “He didn’t offer to pay any of mine when I stood up for him, so . . . “

On a more serious note, Jackson said he doesn’t believe that O’Neal has any special problems with the NBA referees, but suggested it might be better if O’Neal critiqued the officials during the game instead of afterward to reporters.

“It doesn’t seem to affect any on-court behavior,” Jackson said. “I’ve never seen Shaq really on the court berate an official. . . .

“Sometimes I wish he’d be more vocal with officials, on the court, on the spot, when the calls happen, if it’s a bad call. . . . He keeps that stuff inside. And sometimes I think it just bubbles up and I wish he would give some of that emotion while he’s there.”