Van Gundy-O'Neal feud continues

ORLANDO, Fla. - Stan Van Gundy walked into the Orlando Magic locker room Thursday morning, and before he could even prepare for practice, his players had a message.

"You better leave Shaq alone," forward Rashard Lewis told him.

And with that, the Flop-Flap continued.

A day after Shaquille O'Neal called his former coach with the Miami Heat "a master of panic" and "a frontrunner," Van Gundy responded by jokingly calling O'Neal a "very sensitive guy." He said everyone needs to "consider the source" before taking the comments too seriously.

The Magic coach said he didn't take O'Neal's remarks personal, but admitted O'Neal may have gone too far - even for his usual jokes.

"That's not his normal comments," Van Gundy said after Orlando's practice Thursday. "Obviously I struck a nerve and hurt his feelings. Shaq's a very sensitive guy. If I hurt his feelings, I'm sorry."

The feud started after the Magic's 111-99 win over O'Neal's Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.

O'Neal was guarding Magic center Dwight Howard with about four minutes left in the third quarter. Howard made a spin move, O'Neal fell in an apparent flop trying to get an offensive foul called, and Howard easily dunked with two hands.

Afterward, Van Gundy said he was surprised by O'Neal's move. "I was shocked and very disappointed cause he knows what it's like. You know, let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that."

And of course, O'Neal responded.

"One thing I really despise is a frontrunner," O'Neal said Wednesday before the Suns' game in Miami. "I know for a fact he's a master of panic and when it gets time for his team to go into the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic. I've been there before. I've played for him."