"I can't say I ever dreamed about it, but it would be one of the highlights of my career," said the soon-to-be-three-time All-Star, days before it was announced that he would be a reserve for the East. "To go home and play in an All-Star Game in front of family and friends and where I grew up and played all of my life; that would be a great accomplishment.”

Fellow Angelino -- and East reserve -- Baron Davis, however, seemingly envisioned the day.

Pierce and Davis have been sharing the court since their AAU days in Los Angeles. Brian Babineau NBAE/Getty Images

“It’s something that I did dream about,” said the Hornets point guard.

Whether they foresaw this moment or not, this is the year that both L.A. natives will get the chance to shine at home.

The 2004 All-Star Game will be played at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, but the last time the league’s annual constellation of stars was held in the city of stars was in 1983 at the Great Western Forum, the former home of the Lakers. It was highlighted by the late Marvin Gaye’s revolutionary rendition of the National Anthem and Julius Erving walking away with MVP honors.

Now the game is back. Back in the city that goes by many names: La-La, El Lay, Tinseltown, the City of Angels ...

“That’s the name I like, ‘City of Angels,’” says Davis of the English translation of his home city. And, like his diverse birthplace, Baron has a multitude of nicknames.

They run from "B-Diddy" -- which in turn becomes “Diddy" and when he's back home becomes "Dizzle" -- to his favorite, "Too Easy," which was conjured up because of the apparent effortlessness of his game, and the fact that he now calls the Big Easy home.

“I’ll move back to L.A. when I finish playing but right now when I go back I stay at the house I bought for my grandmother,” says Davis, who attended UCLA after high school.

Pierce, on the other hand, went away to attend Kansas after high school. Since joining the Celtics, however, Pierce has maintained an L.A.-area residence, and has plans of resting and relaxing there with friends and family during the upcoming All-Star Weekend.

“It’s time to regroup during the (All-Star) break, but I plan on having a little party," says Pierce. "I have to do something, as I'm going home, but specific plans are still to be announced. And as far as the do’s and don’ts while there: ‘Do have a good time and don’t sit around.”

Like Pierce, Davis won’t be sitting around. He’ll be keeping an eye on the film production company he started, Too Easy Entertainment.

“We have a five-picture deal with another production company," says Davis. "Everything is good with the company and on the up-and-up."

The budding movie mogul also has his All-Star party plans already lined up. “I’ll be hosting a party with Reebok. But if you want to do something else while there, go to Sunset Boulevard. You’ll see whatever you want there.”

As for what one will see at the game, expect to see Davis and Pierce enjoying themselves.

"It would be a lot of fun for two hometown guys who grew up playing in L.A. (to play together)," said Pierce a few days before the official announcement.

While Pierce considers L.A. his hometown, he was actually born up the coast in Oakland. But he moved to Los Angeles well before starring at Inglewood High School, which is little more than a long three-pointer away from the Forum. Both he and Baron grew up fans of the Lakers and, more specifically, Magic Johnson.

Both L.A. ballers made their All-Star debuts in Philadelphia in 2002. Andrew D. Bernstein NBAE/Getty Images

Although Pierce was able to sneak in and catch a few games during the last act of the Showtime Lakers, Davis never saw a game at the Forum. In fact, life for the two was a sort of mixture of three coming of age movies set in Southern California: "The Wood", "Boyz N the Hood", and "Menace II Society". Film buff Davis picks the last as his favorite among the three.

Davis grew up in the rough neighborhood of South Central L.A., but he wound up attending "Crossroads", a prep school in Santa Monica that educated many of the children of Hollywood’s famous celebrities. Although it took him away from his friends, Davis is thankful for the experience.

“It was one the best things to happen to me," says Davis. "It showed me that there was another world other than just the ‘hood. It gave me the chance to deal with a lot of different types of people.”

Before attending Crossroads, Baron met Paul at the crossroads of L.A. basketball. They began playing together for a local AAU team when Baron was 11 and Paul was 13. Their basketball bond was reinforced at the area’s tough playgrounds, like Rogers Park and Darby Park.

“Seeing each other grow and get better as players is amazing," says Pierce. "I remember when I made my first All-Star Game, and he made his first one the same year (2002). We were saying how great it was that both of us from L.A. made it."

Beyond hometown and All-Star bonds, the two are also closely linked as members of the NBA statistical elite. Currently, Davis is fifth in the league in scoring, at 23.3 points per game, while Pierce is sixth at 22.9.

But scoring is not all that they do.

“Players from L.A. are said to be finesse players, but you have to look at players like myself, Paul and Andre Miller," says Davis. "We are physical too." One of Davis' other nicknames, "The Body Guard", illustrates this point.

“We're all labeled as finesse players," agrees Pierce. "East coast players are known as rugged or having good ball-handling skills, but I think that the players that come out of California really learn the game. We tend to play the overall game.”

Pierce, tabbed "The Truth" as soon as he arrived in the league, speaks the truth about the two All-Stars. To go along with his scoring, Pierce is averaging 6.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.63 steals. Davis is right there with him, averaging 7.9 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.40 steals.

Baron and Paul -- connected since childhood, and now set to share the backcourt at some point during the 53rd All-Star Game in front of their hometown fans. Two local players basking in the L.A. lifestyle and representing L.A. basketball.

In the spirit of Hollywood, a true "L.A. Story" that is no longer "L.A. Confidential".