Earlier this season you could have asked the Knicks, whose reserves wanted to jump the trash-talking guard, en masse, after he buried a shot from his favorite spot on the floor - in front of the opponent's bench.

Just ask Rafer Alston, who slapped House on the back of the head Wednesday night after the guard buried another jumper in a 31-point performance that not only was his career playoff high, but also tied his overall career high.

Alston said House ``shot'' an elbow at him after hitting the 20-footer, but the league didn't see it that way. Alston was suspended for tonight's Game 3 in Orlando.

``He loves celebrating,'' the Magic point guard said of House. ``I watch Basketball all year. Usually he'll run down and celebrate, yell a few things.''

Just ask Joakim Noah, who after nearly landing on the Celtics bench during a play in the first-round series was treated to stereophonic harassment, with Kevin Garnett chewing on one ear and House on the other. Neither player was in the game at the time.

This time, though, there was a price to pay. Alston was punished by the league, though he said House should be in the same boat for the elbow.

House just shrugged, claiming that he neither threw the elbow nor said anything to provoke Alston.

No one, however, disputes that House has a knack for annoying the opposition. Even while denying that he did anything wrong, House's edge came to the surface.

``I must have (gotten under his skin),'' he said. ``All I did was hit a shot and start turning around and got hit upside the head.

``I guess was tired of getting hit upside the head.''

House certainly isn't unique. Noah can incite entire arenas with his antics. Ron Artest has taken this sort of thing to the human lightning rod level.

Some players simply exude a hated smugness without ever saying a word. Indeed, every team has at least one player who rubs others the wrong way.

``It's the shots that get you mad, because you look at them, and (J.J.) Redick has the same effect on other teams,'' Doc Rivers said of the Orlando guard, whose history of triggering hostility dates to his tenure as the star for the most disliked of college programs, Duke. ``When you get guys who don't necessarily put the ball on the floor, and your coach has been belaboring the point to you, `You cannot let this guy get shots,' it can get to you,'' the Celtics coach added.

``Then every time Redick made a shot I was screaming at someone. Every time Eddie made a shot, I'm sure coach (Stan) Van Gundy was screaming at someone, because that's what (House) does. But they both have the ability to get open, and it drives you nuts.

``(House) gets under everybody's skin when he gets you going. It's not personal. He just gets so wound up in the game, and that's good. I'm a big believer in emotion. Some people take it the wrong way, but I'll take it as long as he's on my side.''

- mrmurphy@bostonherald.com