Don’t cross David Stern.

Almost everyone in the NBA has learned that lesson at some point. This week, it was Jeff Van Gundy’s turn. The Rockets’ head coach is $100,000 lighter in the wallet after complaining about how officials handle Yao Ming, and Stern suggested there might be more to come.

Van Gundy claimed on Monday that complaints to the league by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban had resulted in closer scrutiny of his center. That’s typical of the posturing coaches engage in during every playoff series. But Van Gundy took it a step further when he said a referee friend tipped him off that the league had made watching Yao a point of emphasis.

In Stern’s view, Van Gundy was attacking the integrity of the game, especially when he refused to name his source. (Some have speculated that the source doesn’t actually exist.) As a result, Stern was at his condescending best when he called the fine “an intermediate step” on Tuesday, hinting further penalties awaited Van Gundy – or as Stern called him, “the perpetrator.” He even mumbled something about expulsion from the league.

While it was reasonable for Stern to aim to protect the league’s integrity and force Van Gundy to name his source, his Everest-size overreaction was not. In fact, it was twice as great as the next biggest fine ever levied against a coach. Van Gundy’s main point wasn’t that there was some big conspiracy, it was that officials seem to whistle Yao for just about anything, and that Cuban’s comments to the league (which Cuban himself noted) may have been a factor. Further, it sends the wrong message for the league to fine Van Gundy $100,000 on the same day it docked the Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony one-tenth that amount for clotheslining San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili.

Besides, Van Gundy has a good point. Yao seems to have zero margin for error with the referees. Some feel it’s because he doesn’t protest bad calls or never gets the benefit of the doubt because he’s a Goliath. I think the problem is much simpler: The refs simply can’t miss the guy. When a player dwarfs everyone on the court, it’s hard not to notice his every action. You can’t get away with putting an arm on somebody when said arm is the length of a flagpole.

Heading into tonight’s must-win Game 6, Van Gundy must hope that the refs hear his message, because keeping Yao on the floor is of paramount importance. The Chinese giant is dominating the series, averaging 22 points a game on a scalding 73.6% shooting clip, including a 13-for-14 performance in Game 2.

He has, however, been in foul trouble in every game, which has limited him to about 30 minutes of floor time per contest. In that context, one can see why Van Gundy thought it so important to stand up for his center. Unfortunately, he took it a step too far by suggesting he had a tip from somebody on the inside, and is feeling the wrath of the commish as a result.

In addition to “Don’t mess with David,” here are a few other things we’ve learned this postseason:

BOSTON IS AN ENIGMA

Despite seeming to have a massive advantage in talent, the Celtics face elimination tonight thanks to a second lackluster effort at home. With an injured shoulder greatly diminishing Jermaine O’Neal’s effectiveness and the Pacers’ guards wilting under Boston’s backcourt pressure, one would have expected the Celtics to own this series. Instead, they committed 22 turnovers in losing Tuesday’s rubber match and now have one foot in the grave.

Meanwhile, Celtics fans are starting to remember why they hated Antoine Walker. He got himself suspended for Game 4 (which Boston won by 31) for pushing a ref, then missed several easy shots when he returned for Game 5. He’s been an amazingly destructive offensive player in this series, taking more shots than any Celtic, but shooting only 39.3%. Despite all the gunning, he’s taken only seven foul shots all series for a miserable 0.88 points per shot attempt.

JAMES IS KING

No, not LeBron. Jerome. After torturing Sonics fans with four seasons of lethargic play, the Seattle center suddenly exploded in the first round against Sacramento. He averaged 17.2 points against the Kings after scoring 17 or more in a game only once the entire season.

But the party is probably about to end, because the Sonics are headed for a matchup with San Antonio in the second round. This will be a quantum leap in competition for James, as the Kings’ interior defense was one of the league’s worst while the Spurs’ is the best outside of Detroit. Nonetheless, 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 58.6% shooting is impressive against any competition. James also is a free agent, which means shortsighted GMs will be clamoring for him in the off-season. Let’s hope Isiah Thomas can resist the urge.

KWAME AND BONZI WILL HAVE NEW ADDRESSES

The newest trend in NBA circles is to complain about minutes so much that the team finally decides it’s better off without you. That fate befell both the Grizzlies’ Bonzi Wells and the Wizards’ Kwame Brown this week.

Wells continued a career-long pattern of loutish behavior by venting to the press about his playing time and then showing up late for a team meeting. This was the last straw for Memphis coach Mike Fratello, who told Wells not to bother showing up for the season-ending Game 4 against Phoenix. It goes without saying that Memphis won’t pick up Wells’s option for $8 million next season. Thus, he’ll become a free agent and, presumably, somebody else’s problem.

Brown’s case is disappointing because a year ago, it seemed like he had finally turned the corner. But the former no.1 overall pick hurt his foot early in the season and never found his stride. When he played just four minutes in Washington’s Game 3 win, he essentially went on strike. Brown claimed he was too ill to practice the next day or to show up for Game 4 against the Bulls, so the Wizards decided to declare the project a failure and suspend Brown for the rest of the playoffs.

Brown likely cost himself several million dollars in free agency, as most execs view bailing on a playoff game as an unpardonable sin. Technically, because he’s a restricted free agent, Washington can match any offer. But even if somebody offers Brown $3.50 an hour to mop up the gym, the Wizards will politely decline.