SAN ANTONIO VS. LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA VS. MILWAUKEE

Wednesday, May 30 Shaq: Individual awards 'don't mean much ...' Associated Press O'Neal EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Two days after refusing to speak with reporters, Shaquille O'Neal said Thursday he wasn't bothered by the NBA's Most Valuable Player voting. Yeah, sure. "It doesn't bother me, you suits don't know what you're talking about," O'Neal told a group of reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers continued preparations for the Western Conference finals, very few of whom were wearing jackets or ties, much less suits. He was referring to those voting for the award. "I wasn't worried about it," he said of the MVP results, announced Tuesday -- the day he opted not to talk to the media. "Individual accolades really don't mean much at this time in my life." The Lakers didn't practice Wednesday, meaning Thursday was the first time O'Neal spoke publicly following the voting. O'Neal, who fell one vote short of becoming the first unanimous MVP in NBA history last season, finished third this year, behind Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and San Antonio's Tim Duncan. Ultimately, O'Neal led the Lakers to their first championship in 12 years last June, and was named MVP of the NBA Finals. O'Neal and Duncan will see plenty of each other in this year's Western Conference finals, which begin Saturday in San Antonio. Lakers coach Phil Jackson said right now, O'Neal is "not the happy-go-lucky guy you usually see." Jackson said he wasn't sure why, but fanned the flames Tuesday by saying the big man's third-place finish in the MVP voting was a slap in the face. "I'm just trying to get ready," O'Neal said when asked about his mood. When asked about comments he made about San Antonio's David Robinson in his recently published book, O'Neal replied: "I said what I said. If you didn't read it, go buy the book `Shaq Talks Back.' It's a best seller." O'Neal wrote that while a student at Cole High in San Antonio, he asked Robinson for an autograph. "He wrote his name real quick and was, like, `Yeah, come on, hurry up,' " O'Neal wrote. "He kind of dogged me. He was my favorite player. That's when I said to myself, `When I see you, I'm gonna get you.' "I don't hate David off the court. I just had to dominate him on it because I got tired of the goody two-shoes image he was throwing out there." Teammate Rick Fox said O'Neal is "a little grumpy right now, which is OK." "The paint is going to be his on both ends of the floor," Fox said. "He's going to have to play huge." When asked why O'Neal was not in the best of moods, Fox replied: "Long summers. We've been swept by these guys before, it's not just Shaq." The Lakers were swept by San Antonio in the conference semifinals two years ago, and the Spurs went on to win their lone NBA championship. With Duncan injured, the Spurs lost to Phoenix in the first round last spring. "In my opinion, he loves a challenge, especially a public challenge," Kobe Bryant said when asked about O'Neal. "I think he'll respond to it." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories

ALSO SEE Jackson calls MVP voting slap in face to Shaq No question: Iverson voted league MVP over Duncan AUDIO/VIDEO  Shaquille O'Neal says he stands by his words. wav: 79 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6