(from left to right : Corvette, Brick Wall)

Though I was more impressed with Dwayne Wade stepping up in the national spotlight, predictably, much of the coverage of yesterday’s LA/Miami tilt centered on the ongoing spat between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Our friend Sam Frank uncovered this gem from today’s NY Times.

When the fans rose for O’Neal before the game, Bryant stood and clapped with them.

But any pretense of a cheery reunion had dissipated by tip-off. As players exchanged greetings at halfcourt, O’Neal and Bryant found each other and – without making eye contact – exchanged brief pats on the back.

Asked about that lack of interplay, O’Neal said: “Being married, I have no interplay or foreplay with another man. I’m a married man. ‘Hey, how you doing?’ That’s it.”