Stephon Marbury has more chips on his shoulder than a Las Vegas poker table. And for the Knicks, that's a very good thing.

The point guard's omission from the All-Star team could be yet another motivating factor for him over the rest of the season. "Everyone knows pretty much that I'm supposed to be playing," Marbury said. "Baron (Davis) came up to me and was like, 'You know you're supposed to be playing.'"

Marbury, who has been brilliant in his first month with the Knicks, has 28 more games to show the East's coaches made a mistake by not voting him onto the team.

"It's all right," said Marbury, who will participate in tomorrow's skills competition. "I understand coming in and not being in the East long enough. But hey, the way I look at it, they've seen me play before."