Ron Artest always plays that little bit harder against the New York Knicks, his home team who passed him by for French bigman Frederick Weis in the 1999 NBA Draft.  But as Artest prepares for yet another game against the Knicks - this time with the Pacers - the defensive specialist has more on his mind than a mere grudge.

"He has a lot to prove [against us]," Chaney said. "It's still in the back of his head, especially coming here. He has a lot to prove with his boys around. He still wants to punish us for not picking him. So far he's done a good job."

Marc Berman of the New York Post writes that one reason the Knicks passed over the gifted forward was because the Knick brass was put off when Artest canceled a pre-draft Knick workout, claiming he was sick. Artest was to be matched up against Shawn Marion, who'd schooled him in a prior workout elsewhere. Artest rescheduled and did well, but Knick officials branded Artest's sudden sickness "The Shawn Marion Flu."

Berman believes that Artest is playing well enough to be an All-Star this year, but still Artest's sights are higher.

"We're good enough to win the whole thing," Artest told The Post yesterday after an appearance at the NBA store. "Not the East. The whole thing."

"Indiana obviously is probably the best team in the East right now, [but] we're at home," Houston said. "We go into the game with the mindset we're going to win the game, not just see where we are. We're going to approach the game knowing we want to win, not just see how we measure up."