NEW YORK -- Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy backed off from comments that a referee told him Rockets center Yao Ming was being targeted by officials in the first round of the playoffs, the NBA said Monday.

The league said in a statement that it considered the matter closed. Van Gundy was fined $100,000 -- the largest ever for a coach -- after saying that a referee who was not working the playoffs told him that Yao was being targeted by officials following complaints by Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Houston's first-round opponent.

Van Gundy subsequently apologized publicly for the comments.

"[Van Gundy] has also confirmed directly to an NBA representative that, during the Houston/Dallas playoff series, he did not have any communication with a referee [working or non-working] other than, of course, during an ongoing game," NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said. "In fact, his only conversations with league employees during the series were with league personnel in the normal course.

"In light of these circumstances, we now consider the matter to be closed."

But Van Gundy, in a release from the Rockets on Monday, said he stands by his original statement.

"I stand by my original comments [May 1] and was quoted accurately. As Russ Granik correctly said in his statement today, the contact I spoke of that day was with league personnel. When I referred to an NBA official, people inferred that I was talking about a working NBA referee, instead of an official with the league. I was purposely vague because I had given my word that I would keep his name out of it.

"I did not want the issue to continue so rather than clarifying my original comments, I chose to let the matter die since I was wrong to bring the official into it to start with. I have been honest during this process, loyal to those involved and have apologized for my comments. I look forward to putting this behind me."

Van Gundy started the saga by telling three reporters at the team hotel in Dallas 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 ????uation 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 Cuban.

Commissioner David Stern said at the time that an investigation into Van Gundy's remarks would continue once the Rockets were out of the playoffs. Houston was eliminated by the Mavericks in Game 7 of their first-round series on Saturday night.

Stern threatened more punishment -- perhaps even banishment -- if Van Gundy did not cooperate and reveal the name of the coach's source.

In????ation from The Associated Press was used in this report.