NEW ORLEANS -- Miami Heat president Pat Riley on Friday forcefully responded to criticism leveled against LeBron James by Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge.

"Danny Ainge needs to shut the f--- up and manage his own team," Riley said in a statement released through a Heat spokesman. "He was the biggest whiner going when he was playing and I know that because I coached against him."

Ainge said he was at a loss to explain why Riley should have gotten into such a lather in the first place.

"I stand by what I said. That's all. I don't care about Pat Riley. He can say whatever he wants," Ainge said in the runway shortly before Friday night's game against Atlanta.

Ainge couldn't let it go without one final shot at Riley.