Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big story line. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

“It’s hard to manage a bunch of different agendas at once and we’re just trying to get our players better,” said Ainge about an improving roster and his draft plans. “It’s been a very positive year whatever happens in these last five difficult games ahead of us. But I believe there’s been a lot that’s been accomplished. It’s a credit to the players and the coaches. You could be the greatest coach in the world but if you got players that don’t have character to understand where the team is at and what’s happening . . . It could be tough on any coach and I think it’s a credit to Brad [Stevens] and the players that they’re playing and developing a reputation of a team that shows up to play and they’re playing hard and they’re playing to win. They’re achieving a lot for a team that probably doesn’t have as much talent on paper as the teams they’re competing against.

“I’ve tempered my expectations. During the [Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green] trades, I just didn’t know how it was going to work out this year. But I’m excited for the players. I want them to have success and I want my coaches to have success. I’m just like anybody else. I’m rooting for their success.”

Globe: Ainge’s deals took Celtics from lottery to playoff contention

Danny Ainge made moves.

A lot of moves.

I think those moves were simply meant to get as much as he could for the assets that he had. In Rondo he had a former All Star but looming free agent, so he decided to get all he could for him. Dallas gave the Celtics, among other things, Jae Crowder… who has been pivotal in a specific bench role. Ainge didn’t get him specifically to be that guy, but that’s what he turned out to be.

In Jeff Green he had an occasionally explosive scorer who was also an impending free agent. He decided to get what he could, and that included, among other things, Tayshaun Prince, who really began this stretch of stabilizing the Celtics weird remaining roster. It was those Prince days, which seem so long ago right now, that the Celtics started to win games we didn’t expect them to win.

Then the deadline came, and Ainge decided to get rid of Prince because, honestly, he never REALLY wanted him in the first place. Meanwhile, a guy Ainge has almost always wanted, Isaiah Thomas, was available in Phoenix. Bing, bang, boom… Prince goes way for Jonas Jerebko and Gigi Datome, and Thomas comes in from Phoenix for Marcus Thornton.

Suddenly, this flurry of moves inadvertently gave the Celtics pieces to a puzzle. Jerebko spread the floor with his shooting. Thomas was the clutch guy. Crowder was the 2-way player who could defend multiple positions. It shifted players like Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart into regular roles that fit them better and helped them flourish (except for Smart’s general, overall shooting, but nothing can really help that but time and practice). Evan Turner wasn’t bouncing around into different positions, and he’s figured out a little niche for himself that’s led to 3 triple doubles.

And so on, and so on….

Danny Ainge was doing what he was supposed to do… getting rid of guys who had value but no longer fit on the team and getting the best deals he could. Those deals just happened to get Brad Stevens the pieces he needed to succeed. It’s like Ainge grabbed a big dining room table and a dresser from the bedroom, took them down to the flea market, and traded them for a bunch of things for the house. Brad Stevens turned those pieces into centerfold spread for “Better Homes and Gardens” and an HGTV reality series.

(That last one for you married fellas forced to watch “Flea Market Flip” on Sundays with the wife)

There’s no way in hell Ainge expected any of these moves to lead to this. He thought he was further blowing up the team, and the team would endure one more lottery season before this summer’s second attempt at fireworks. But now the Brad-y-Bunch (sorry) is sitting in the 8th spot with 5 games to go, everyone might as well jump on board.

Yes, that means even Danny Ainge, even though this was never really the plan.

Page 2: We’re on awards watch too!!

WALTHAM, Mass. – Even with a potential trip to the postseason still in the cards, the Boston Celtics (35-42) will finish this season with a below-.500 record for the second straight season.

Still, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t believe Celtics head coach Brad Stevens has done one of the best coaching jobs in the NBA this season.

And while it’s highly unlikely he’ll win this year’s Coach of the Year award, Stevens should at least be in the conversation.

CSNNE: Stevens should place in top 5 for Coach of the Year

Whether it’s coming off the bench or being part of the first unit, Thomas has been able to deliver starter-like production throughout most of his career.

And that’s why the 5-foot-9 guard is likely to be on the short list of most Sixth Man of the Year ballots.

CSNNE: Thomas making a strong case for 6th man of the Year

This is what happens when you far exceed expectations… people responsible get considered for awards.

I think Brad Stevens should definitely get votes for Coach of the Year. When you look at what he’s done with so many different line ups… to be this close to a playoff spot at this point is amazing. I think the race is actually between Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta and Steve Kerr in Golden State, but Stevens should definitely be in mix below them. I think somewhere in the 3-through-5 range is right.

Thomas is in that mix for 6th man too, with Lou Williams in Toronto being his primary competition.  Williams has been pretty consistent this year and his having a big April so far for the division-leading Raptors. There might be a desire among the voters to show the Raps a little love for the success over the past couple of years, but Thomas is certainly deserving.

Thomas’ injury might hurt his chances, but a big finish and a Celtics playoff spot might be enough to get him the award.

And Finally…

Here’s your updated playoff picture:

Charlotte lost to Miami last night, so they’re basically out of the race without officially being eliminated yet. The Celtics have the tiebreaker, so this is essentially a 3-game lead with 5 games left.

Toronto can put Charlotte out of their misery tonight. Atlanta is in Brooklyn, but they’re without Paul Milsap. The last time these two teams met, Atlanta won by 32, so it might not matter.  A Celtics win and Atlanta loss would push Boston into the 7th seed (we own the tiebreaker against Brooklyn).

Indiana is in New York, which seems like a win. That would move them into a tie with Miami for the 9th spot.

Of course a loss to the Pistons would really hurt. Their length is not easy to deal with and Reggie Jackson’s been playing pretty well recently. It’s not a guaranteed win. A Celtics loss would drop them out of the playoffs because they’d be tied with Miami, who has the tiebreaker.

Related links: MassLive: Celtics getting lucky in playoff push? LeBron expects some rest before playoffs

The rest of the links:

Herald: Isaiah Thomas-Floyd Mayweather bond packs punch  |  ESPN Boston: Why Nuggets might claim Shavlik Randolph  |  Q&A with Jae Crowder  |  Young, Babb will get playoff experience with Claws  |  MassLive: Randolph explains why C’s cut him