DALLAS - Jeff Van Gundy was determined to make the most out of being fined $100,000.

He began his comments to reporters with a line about his wife being upset and later mentioned possibly having to sleep on the porch. He said he liked the sound of his penalty being "double worst" the previous biggest and even fired off several zingers about getting punished by the same guy who gave him his first NBA job.

Then David Stern started talking. And no one was laughing.

Stern brought the focus back to what caused Monday's fine - Van Gundy's accusation that officials are targeting Yao Ming this postseason - and said he considers this an ongoing case that will be handled by the league's head of security.

Referring to the coach as a "perpetrator," Stern said the investigation will continue once the Rockets are out of the playoffs. Houston lost 103-100 to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night in Game 5 of their first-round series, putting them one loss from elimination.

Stern said he expects Van Gundy to cooperate, which means naming the referee who was his source. Stern even cited a league bylaw that requires Van Gundy to do so.

If he still won't, Stern threatened more punishment - perhaps even banishment.

"If he's going to say things like that, he's not going to continue in this league," Stern said. "If the attitude reflected in those comments continues to be public, he's going to have a big problem with me as long as I'm commissioner."

Van Gundy already was on the court when Stern spoke. After the game, the coach called Stern's tough talk "interesting" but continued to stand behind his initial, fine-provoking statements.

"I didn't see anything wrong with what I said," Van Gundy said. "But certainly, obviously, for a statement like that to come out, he obviously differs. ... That's all right."

Van Gundy started the saga by telling three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas on Sunday night that a referee not working the playoffs called him after the Rockets went up 2-0 and warned that Yao was mentioned in an online evaluation from supervisor of officials Ronnie Nunn.

Van Gundy also told the reporters that referees "were looking at Yao harder because of Mark's complaints" to the league office, referring to Mavs owner Mark Cuban. Van Gundy told the reporters Cuban has "gotten benefit" of repeated complaints to the league office.

"I didn't think that really worked in the NBA, but in this case it has," Van Gundy said.

He stood by his complaints Monday and said he's made many of them privately to the league all season.

"I said what I said. I believe what I believe and I've seen what I've seen. They've got to do what they think is right," Van Gundy said. "I would watch all of (Yao's) 20 fouls with anyone. And I would have no problems making my case that he's not refereed appropriately. I stand by that."

Van Gundy got a kick out of doubling the previous largest fine, a $50,000 hit on Pat Riley in 2003 and Phil Jackson in 2004.

"If that's the worst thing that's happened in the NBA from a coaching perspective, so be it," he said.

He also laughed about being reprimanded by league vice president Stu Jackson, who in 1989 was coach of the Knicks and hired Van Gundy as an assistant.

"Stu brought me into the NBA so he giveth, and now he taketh away," Van Gundy said.

Van Gundy said the league's questions about his source made him feel "like I was in Watergate or something."

When told about reporters who are facing 18 months in jail for protecting sources, Van Gundy laughed and said, "My guy would have to be on his own. I'd cut him loose."

Van Gundy is in the second year of an $18 million, four-year contract and he acknowledged being fortunate to afford the fine. However, he may not have to pay it all because Yao offered to split it.

"Coach was talking about me," he said. "I feel I need to do it that way."

Cuban, who has been fined more than $1 million since buying the Mavs five years ago, found little irony in someone getting fined for comments involving him and his pet target, the way officials do their job.

"It's nice to see someone else buying the coffee and danish for the NBA," he said.