First of all thank you for your thoughts and prayers for Eddy (Curry). Although we don’t know a lot yet about the recent events with his family, but please be in prayer for him and his family. He obviously has had a lot he’s been dealing with so far this year. What we can do right now is support him and pray for comfort.

Last week was an amazing week huh! President Obama sworn in, and a 3 game winning streak-even though it was snapped Saturday. When I see pictures, sound bytes, and images of President Obama (which in itself sounds incredible), I still am overwhelmed. I am excited for what the Obama family will be for the image of the African-American male, and family. When I grew up, to have both parents, who cared about me being educated was sometimes looked down on. As I look back, this is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard of. This hopefully will change.

For everybody, not just blacks. You can tell the Obama is serious about their strong family unit. This is huge for the development of our next generation. We need strong families.

I know fans are happy to see Gallinari back. I bet you didn’t realize he could shoot the way he does either. I saw it first hand in practice before he began playing in games. As he was getting closer to playing, we would have shooting games against each other.

Don’t you even think about asking either! It did take me longer to beat him than anyone else though:) We played one on one full court one time. Now, I stay in decent shape, but full court one on one is a beast! It felt like I swallowed a match that was lit. He didn’t miss too many then either. I’m glad to see the fans receive him now. That’s a big step to come in as a rookie and have people pull for you.

Even though the streak ended, the guys are feeling a little better about their rhythm. Nate’s shooting better helps. Sometimes when you’re in a new system and you’re young, you tend to over-think.

The great thing about Mike’s (D’Antoni) system is that there should not be a lot of over-thinking. Either shoot if you’re open, or make a play for someone else. The more the ball moves, instead of going one on one, the better rhythm everyone can be in. This is what has become more consistent.

The next 2 weeks will be a great test. There are 9 games left until All-Star break, including tonight vs. Houston. The way we go into the break could tell a lot about playoff hopes.

Let me hear from you. Any questions or comments, email me:
20vision(at)allanhouston.com.

God Bless,

Allan
www.AllanHouston.com

From thegame.podbean.com

Will 2009 Be An Ordinary or Extraordinary Year?
The first week of 2009 has already showed us what this team could be like. On Sunday the 4th, we beat the Celtics by 12 and looked really good. The following Tuesday and Thursday, losses to the (Oklahoma City) Thunder and the Mavericks left a sour taste in our mouths. The difference in the win and the two losses is very clear, It is the difference in most cases between winning and losing in all sports, especially at the professional level.  What is it? It’s ‘a little extra’.   It has always been my experience that the extra little things make the difference between average and great, between ordinary and extraordinary.

These ‘little things’ can be a lot of things. In this system that Coach D’antoni has brought to New York,  it takes a lot of energy to run, and get to open spots for shots. If that extra energy isn’t put out, the team will struggle to score, and struggle to defend. Another ‘little thing’ that helps is communication on the court. A little extra talking between teammates could mean the difference between a broken play, or allowing an opponent to score. An extra possession could mean the chance to have a shot to win, so every little turnover adds up.

There are many examples of these, and I see one common theme throughout sports and life. Little things make the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.

I have always wanted to be extraordinary. Whether its golf or basketball, writing or speaking, relationships or health, ordinary has never been a goal of mine. I realize that being more that ordinary means I have to focus on little things in my life, because they add up. Most of the time the difference between a highly valued product (jewelry, clothes, food, etc) and one that is inexpensive in the details.

I look forward to hearing more from you. Starting with now through 2009, and on, let’s be more that ordinary, but extraordinary!

God Bless,
Allan Houston