Sharing Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors was the first step. For Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, the logical next step will be invitations to play in the NBA All-Star Game next month in Philadelphia.

Finally, Pierce and Walker meet the requirements. Which is to say, they play for a winning team. The numbers have been there before, particularly last season, but the Celtics were horrible. And individual stats are far less intriguing when reflected against a losing record.