Allan Houston shot the ball 11-for-13 in the first half against the New Orleans Hornets on Friday, yet he went scoreless in the second half and overtime as the Knicks crashed once again.  How can a player have such a change of form so quickly?

If you ask Houston the answer is simple.  His third-quarter benching caused him to lose his first half momentum which he never regained.  Knicks coach Don Cheaney, however, felt he had no choice but to bring his star off the court after Houston picked up his third foul early in the third period.

"I just got to do a better job," said Houston. "I'll take it upon myself. I don't want to shy away from it. I have to do a better job. Teams do make adjustments. I have to be able to adjust to their adjustments. When you're out of the game, it's hard to do that. I have to get back in the game and do something else."

Marc Berman of the New York Times reports that Chaney benched Houston early in the third to prevent him from getting into more severe foul trouble.  New Orleans guard David Wesley was attacking Houston every possession, restricting Houston to just three minutes in the third quarter. The move backfired, but Chaney knows Houston's got to regain rhythm after bench stints.

"You can't play a whole game," Chaney said.