TORONTO - The Celtics must walk before they run, and with yesterday's practice being canceled due to health considerations, the focus is clearly on the former.

If the Celts want to run with the big dogs at the end of the season, it's evident they'll need to get a healthier dose of offense from their bench. Ray Allen was the latest to come to that conclusion, doing so in the wake of Milwaukee's 109-90 busting of Boston on Tuesday night.

The Bucks' All-Star guard likes what he sees with the Celtics, but even though his club is just a game and a half ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings, the difference is almost as glaring as Tuesday's margin.

ORONTO - After ''one of those nights,'' the Celtics had one of those days. Upon learning that Antoine Walker (flu), Paul Pierce (reaggravated sprained left wrist), and Tony Battie (sore right hip flexor) could not practice, coach Jim O'Brien boarded the team bus set to depart for the Air Canada Centre and canceled yesterday's workout.

MILWAUKEE - Oh, what a tight and intense game the Celtics and Bucks engaged in last night. For 25 minutes.

At that point, Milwaukee fired its retro rockets and blew out the Bostonian windows on the way to a 109-90 reminder of how far the Celts still have to go. It was the Celtics' sixth straight loss here.

Adding injury to insult, Paul Pierce aggravated his sore left wrist in the fourth quarter and spent the last 8:51 on the sideline.

The NBA announced the reserves for the 2002 All-Star Game yesterday and, as expected, Pierce joined starter Antoine Walker on the Eastern Conference team. Pierce secured his first appearance with help from the league's head coaches, who voted for the reserves.

Pierce, who is second in the league in scoring, finished sixth among guards in fan balloting with 254,840 votes. But he was in arguably the most competitive slot on the All-Star ballot, with starters Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan, plus Jason Kidd and Ray Allen. But it was hard to ignore Pierce, who accounts for 27.9 percent of the Celtics' point production; no one in the NBA scores a higher percentage of his team's points.

ILWAUKEE - The best description of the third quarter came from Kenny Anderson. ''It was a blur,'' he said.

Then he provided a play-by-play that sounded more like something out of a comic book than an NBA game:

''Pow. Pow. Bam. Pow. Bam. We're down 10. Pow. Bam. Pow. Damn. We're down 20.''

But none of the Celtics were laughing. They didn't even smile from the time the second half began until they left Bradley Center. The starters were on the bench for the last minutes of the fourth quarter, watching the Milwaukee Bucks complete their 109-90 rout last night.

Somewhere back when Kevin McHale tried to shut up a Bucks fan by hiking the knot of the fan's tie a few inches, back when Don Nelson and Danny Ainge, with help from Red Auerbach, exchanged insults about the other's testosterone levels, the Milwaukee Bucks' second-best rival was the Boston Celtics.

Philadelphia wins the top spot in that category because the frequency of a Bucks-76ers playoff series and because of Charles Barkley.

But, at times, there seemed to be more hostility and unapologetic hate with Bucks-Celtics than with Bucks-76ers. In the end, the Bucks wound up losing more than winning those series against both teams.

But the Celtics are back, or at least the standings say they are.

They will have to make the playoffs for that rivalry to come back as well. Otherwise, it will remain dormant, no matter how often they play or how good they are in the regular season.

MILWAUKEE - During recent games, Kenny Anderson has had to put a heating pad on his lower back while he sits on the bench. The heat helps to keep his sore back from tightening up. It is far from an ideal situation for the Celtics' starting point guard.

But it has not stopped Anderson from hoisting up jumper after jumper. And the shots usually fall just when the Celtics need them most - when the defensive pressure increases on Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce.

MILWAUKEE - With a victory over Cleveland to begin a three-game road trip, a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team now official, and a chance to visit family in nearby Chicago with practice canceled yesterday, Antoine Walker was a happy man.

He was a little taken aback by his recent good fortune. So he can be excused for telling something of a team secret.

Psst - coach Jim O'Brien does look ahead at the Celtics' upcoming schedule, sometimes even weeks ahead.

NBA fans don't have to be season-ticket holders of the Boston Celtics to be familiar with Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker. The Celtics forwards are the NBA's best offensive duo not named Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

Pierce's offensive wizardry of long-range jumpers, spinning layins and fades is a staple on the highlights of sports shows. And so is Walker, who remains one of the most skilled big men in the NBA.

But Pierce and Walker aren't doing much different offensively as Boston has become perhaps the most surprising team in the NBA.

The Celtics are among the best clubs in the Eastern Conference because of a vastly improved defense. Boston still lacks the third scorer that seemed essential for the once-moribund franchise to contend for the playoffs.

And the point-guard play ? with Kenny Anderson starting ? remains unspectacular.

Thus, Boston's most significant move during the offseason might have been the hiring of assistant Dick Harter, a defensive guru.

Last season, the Celtics were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, allowing 45-percent shooting. Now, Boston has transformed into one of the league's stingiest defenses.

Before joining the Celtics, Harter worked under Larry Bird in Indiana, which had one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.

Under former coach Rick Pitino, Boston constantly trapped, even if the style ended in futility. The Celtics have shifted their defensive philosophy to mostly straight-up defense as advocated by Harter.

It's the same style that the Knicks used while becoming an Eastern Conference power under Pat Riley during the 1990s.

"I remember how (Harter) came up with me to New York," Riley told the Boston Globe. "And he decorated his office and put one picture up on the wall. And it was a picture of all five guys ... when he was coaching Oregon.

"All of them diving at the same time for a loose ball. And that's what it's all about with Dick: You're playing hard, and you try to keep it as simple as you can."

Langdon admits he's no lottery pick

NBA players are surrounded by so many sycophants ? starting in high school ? that many believe they are God's gift to basketball.

If you tell someone like Shaquille O'Neal that he shoots free throws like his last name is Polynice, the Lakers center is likely to take umbrage.

So it's worth noting when a player is steeped in reality enough to admit being a bust instead of blaming the coaching staff or a style of play.

The Cavaliers selected Trajan Langdon 11th overall in the 1999 draft despite the former Blue Devil being essentially a spot-up shooter.

Langdon ? averaging about two points in eight minutes per game this season ? has been a major disappointment in Cleveland.

"That kind of comment is legit," Langdon admitted recently.

But the onus should be placed on Cavaliers management for making the dubious selection.

Langdon expected to be drafted late in the first round because of an inability to create his own shot or dribble well. But Cleveland stunned the NBA by making Langdon a lottery pick.

"I didn't call up and say draft me No. 11," Langdon said. "It was a complete surprise to me."

Three-second calls

One of the strangest statistics of the season is that four of the Los Angeles Lakers' 11 losses are to cellar-dwellers: the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Vancouver Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors. ... How bad was the New Jersey Nets team with which Stephon Marbury was forced to play last season? His former backcourt partner, Stephen Jackson, is now a little-used player for San Antonio. "It basically says how bad we were," said Nets Coach Byron Scott. Jackson wasn't pleased to hear about Scott's assessment. "He can kiss my (rear)," Jackson said. ... Tomorrow, the Lakers visit the White House in honor of last season's NBA title. Wonder if onetime hippie Phil Jackson will cause a stir by expressing sympathy for John Walker Lindh? ... When Jason Kidd signed a nine-year, $54 million deal with Dallas in 1994, it included a monetary incentive for winning the MVP award. That bonus seemed out of reach until this season. ... Charles Oakley has regressed into a player whose redeeming value is meandering metaphors and colorful quotes. So here's Oakley's latest on his team's next game with the Lakers, in light of Shaquille O'Neal's skirmish with Brad Miller: "We're not going to back down. They put their pants on the same way we do ? unless they got two zippers." ... Karl Malone, John Stockton and Michael Jordan have been remarkable playing at a high level despite being in their late 30s. Although Michael Ray Richardson doesn't have to face the NBA's rigors, the former Knicks guard is in a class by himself in playing for a French club today at age 46. ... Darius Miles ? who will be a star once he develops a jumper ? was left off the sophomore team for the Rookie Challenge, which pits rookies against second-year players during All-Star Weekend. Meanwhile, the NBA made questionable selections like Chicago's Marcus Fizer and Cleveland's Chris Mihm. The only rationale is that the Los Angeles Clippers will be represented by Quentin Richardson. Other glaring omissions: rookies Vladimir Radmanovic of Seattle and Eddie Griffin of Houston. ... Mark Cuban is one of the NBA's best owners despite his flaws. Cuban has hired a referee consultant to advise Mavericks players on dealing with officials. Woody Mayfield, a referee for 30 years before retiring, also studies the moves of Mavericks players to cut back on their illegal tendencies. Now Cuban needs to hire someone to help the Internet billionaire learn how to deal with Commissioner David Stern.

Although he'd get Steve Francis' vote, Paul Pierce is not the NBA's Most Valuable Player this season. But the fact he's already been mentioned among the game's elite by a number of opposing players this season is a tribute to the lengths in which the Celtics' fourth-year star has taken his game.

Though he is the league's second-leading scorer in averaging a career-high 27 points per game, Pierce can no longer be defined solely in terms of the points he puts on the board. He's come a long way as a stand-up defender, no longer having to rely on steals to contribute at that end of the floor. He's learned how to pass out of double-teams, particularly in recent weeks since the Celtics went into more of an attack mode at the basket and lessened their 3-point shooting load.

Pierce, 24, is averaging a career-