Basketball fans were stunned Tuesday night when Shaquille O'Neal, basketball's loudest critic of flopping, appeared to take a dive after a spin move by the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard.
Shaq's flop may have been hypocritical, but a far worse crime was committed that night by Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy.
Commenting on the memorable play and O'Neal's match-up with Howard, Van Gundy stated, "I was shocked, seriously shocked and very disappointed because he knows what it's like. Let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that tonight."
Many would agree with Van Gundy. How can Shaq flop after blasting opponents for years for that very act? Van Gundy should be credited for keeping Shaq honest, right?
Maybe so. But he didn't really think he could criticize Shaq without consequence did he?
If Van Gundy struck Shaq with a scalpel, than Shaq responded with an axe. Wednesday, O'Neal called Van Gundy, among other things, a "master of panic" and a "nobody." He also referred to Van Gundy's coaching career as a, "flop."
Make no mistake about it; Shaq's comments were disrespectful, shallow, and excessive. Van Gundy's single comment on flopping did not warrant Shaq's response.
That being said, part of Van Gundy's job is to eliminate distractions for himself and his team, not create them. He dropped the ball here.
O'Neal's response, while inexcusable, was not unexpected. This is vintage Shaq. He has a record of chewing up teammates, opponents, and coaches who dare to criticize him publicly. Penny Hardaway, Vlade Divacs, Kobe Bryant, and a horde of others, including Van Gundy, can attest to that.
Van Gundy should have known better.
After flying under the radar for most of an immensely successful season, he and the Magic have a very large distraction on their hands.
What's unfortunate is that this situation was very avoidable. What did Van Gundy have to gain by calling out Shaq?
This is the question reporters will be asking this week. Many will conclude this incident was fueled, at least in part, by lingering hostile feelings Van Gundy retains from his fallout with O'Neal and the Miami Heat in 2006.
On the contrary, I believe Van Gundy was simply trying to protect Howard who was also publicly trashed by O'Neal, prior to Tuesday night's game. Van Gundy's comment was half criticism of Shaq, half praise for Howard.
The fact is, Howard did not need protecting. The Magic had just won. Howard outplayed Shaq. Business was taken care of ON the court.
In the future, Van Gundy would serve his young team better by avoiding controversy off the court.
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