MILWAUKEE – Allan Houston’s goal once was winning the NBA championship. Now his primary focus is the Knicks just getting to the .500 mark by February’s All-Star break.

Houston thinks that if his 8-14 team can get to .500, it will be in position to make the playoffs in the dreadful East.

“I’m not looking at that [eighth playoff spot] yet,” Houston said. “I’m more looking at getting to the .500 mark. There have been times when .500 did make it. This year could be the year .500 makes a spot.”

The Knicks are 2½ games out of the eighth seed.

GM Scott Layden is encouraged the Knicks have won three of four and are 7-7 since Latrell Sprewell returned.

“The difference is probably health and everybody to having time to spend together,” he said.

*

Layden doesn’t want to put any pressure on Yugoslavian point guard Milos Vujanic, the Knicks’ second-round pick, who said this week he wasn’t sure he wanted to join the Knicks next season because of playing-time reasons, citing Charlie Ward and Howard Eisley.

“It’s premature to make a comment,” Layden said. “We’re focusing on trying to win here.”