Shaq is introduced to ‘Christian Woods’

After the Rockets completed Thursday’s stunning win in San Antonio and Rockets center Christian Wood was the obvious choice for TNT’s postgame interview, Shaquille O’Neal acknowledged he had never heard of Wood.

O’Neal said that while watching the game in the

TNT green room, he asked Kenny Smith, “Who is Christian Woods?”

After Wood scored 27 points with a career-highmatching 15 rebounds, O’Neal learned Wood’s name, then owned up to his lack of knowledge about the Rockets center on his sixth NBA team.

“Christian, this is Shaq,” O’Neal said to start the postgame interview. “I owe

you an apology. I wasn’t really familiar with your game.

“Shaq-like numbers right there,” O’Neal said. “I see you, big dog. I know who you is now, cuz.”

Wood let O’Neal off the hook, sort of, labeling him “a casual.”

O’Neal, a Hall of Famer and part of TNT’s hugely successful “Inside the NBA” studio show, probably is more than a casual fan. But Wood seemed more amused than offended.

“It does (feel good,) especially coming from a great like Shaq. It means a lot for him having taken notice of my game. And showing that appreciation and love toward me, it shows that I’m doing everything right. I just have to keep it up.”