By Mark Berman
Allan Houston, a key member of the Knicks' recruiting team, says it's no time to mourn the loss of LeBron James. It's the Knicks job now to knock out the James-led Heat like he once did with a lovely series-winning runner in the lane in the 1999 playoffs.
"It's now over," Houston told The Post. "New Yorkers are strong. They'll pull together enough to realize it's over. Now our job is to beat them -- not to worry about why he didn't make the decision for New York."
The Knicks could face the Heat in the first round in another 1-vs.-8 matchup, like 1999. Houston has no grudges that James spurned the Knicks and did it from the town he lives -- Greenwich, Conn.
In fact, Houston had a private five-minute conversation with James after the rest of Knicks brass departed to tell him not to feel pressured into doing what others want him to do, to do what will bring him "peace."
"He appreciated it," Houston said. "One thing I wanted him to make sure he had peace of mind on whatever decision he made. Obviously I was hoping it was here.
"When it's all said and done you don't want to have regrets about going to Miami. You make a decision based on what you feel is right for you, not what everybody wants from you."
Houston truly could not get a read on James' intentions after the Knicks meeting. "I felt like he didn't want to let anybody know who the favorite was," Houston said. "It felt like Phil Ivey (the poker player)."
Houston, who's being groomed to one day replace Knicks president Donnie Walsh or become his general manager, has Miami as "one of the favorites" to win the title.
"There's something about building a team," Houston said. "We're going to keep pushing forward, keep moving. I love the direction we're going. I got a good feeling about."
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