And Laker fans are such clear-thinkers. Tell us all about how Kobe was poisoned again...
And I know it is standard talking points to say that Shaq gets away with murder (as far as fouls go), but no one accounts for how many hacks he is just expected to deal with because of his size. He is a giant playing among men, and it is very difficult to objectively make calls. He takes hits on his body that would send the normal size player flying into the stands (or out of the arena if it were Vlade), without even flinching. Very often, these hacks are never called. But when he bumps someone 200 pounds lighter, even slightly, of course the refs are going to see the contact.
I would bet any amount of money that if a group of pro refs were to watch every play involving Shaq over the entire season and counted both missed calls against him and missed calls for him, Shaq would be on the short end of the stick.