Across the street from the Garden yesterday, T.J. Ford and Allan Houston were teamed in the backcourt, in the Knicks' home whites. Houston fed Ford on the right wing, but the Texas point guard missed his first shot.

Of course this was just a reality video game, with Ford at the controls of Xbox - one of his passions. Publicists for Xbox invited Ford to their midtown offices to get out of the heat and play NBA Inside Drive 2003. An NBA Players' Association official programmed Ford onto the Knicks.

Today at noon, it becomes real. Ford will wear Knicks workout gear and execute drills for 45 minutes before team management. "There's so much history in there, every time you step in that building, you want to perform at your highest level," said Ford, who will be in attendance for tomorrow's draft at the Garden. "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere."

Ford likely will be making it at another venue. Even with Ford's stock sliding, he'll probably go before the Knicks select at No. 9. And if the Knicks trade up, they're more likely to go big, especially if Chris Bosh or Chris Kaman are on the board.