<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">MIAMI ? The feud between Heat center Shaquille O'Neal and NBA referees continues. O'Neal expressed his displeasure Wednesday with the officiating in Tuesday night's 115-89 victory against Milwaukee, specifically regarding a play in which Bucks' center Jamaal Magloire grabbed O'Neal from behind. Magloire was whistled for a foul, but O'Neal insisted the ruling should have been a flagrant foul. "They have rules that they write down," O'Neal said. "I just want them to enforce them consistently. Like I know, I got tackled under the basket. If I had done that, they would have given me a flagrant foul." O'Neal said that people have the impression he can take constant punishment because of his bulk. In this case, O'Neal said size doesn't matter. "A pinch is a pinch," O'Neal said. "If you pinch my right nipple, I'm going to say, 'ouch.' If I pinch your right nipple, you're going to say 'ouch.' A foul is a foul and a flagrant is a flagrant." O'Neal also ripped game officials and NBA Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson after Sunday's 90-78 loss to New Jersey. Asked if officials had an agenda against him, O'Neal responded, "It looks like it to me." Shortly after his comments Wednesday, the Heat announced that O'Neal is a finalist for the Joe Dumars Trophy, presented to the player "who best exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court."</div> Source
I have to agree with Shaq on this. Its easy to view Shaq as a oversized bully because of his enormous size. But I actually think it works against him in many cases. Shaq gets called for fouls alot of smaller players wouldn't get called for and then gets flagrants for normal fouls that send the other player sprawling because he is so strong.
