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.

Danny Ainge said yesterday that like Stevens, he never mapped out an expected time for making the playoffs. That’s why the Celtics president doesn’t consider Stevens’ first playoff appearance to be ahead of schedule.

According to Ainge, the team that made the playoffs isn’t any different from the one that could just as easily have been in the low lottery.

“If we had just missed the playoffs instead of making them, I don’t see any difference,” he said. “We’re down, 3-0, to a very talented team. It’s clear we’re not where we want to be.

“There’s no timetable to anything,” said Ainge. “The idea has been to be smart and patient.”

But Ainge’s most important time has no end, with a trove of draft picks and cap space set to spread his biggest decisions over the next three years.

Boston Herald – How do these playoffs fit in Celtics ‘timeline for success’?

If the Celtics’ season does end today, it’ll lend to the argument that playoff losses aren’t worth dropping back four or five spots in the draft. Possibly true, but we won’t know until a few years from now when we can fully evaluate how this upcoming draft pans out. In the meantime, there are major benefits in these losses — facing the best team in the East will show the Celtics how good you have to be to even stand a chance. If Kevin Love opts in long-term with the Cavs, the bar gets set for the next five years and the C’s now know what it’ll require to take them down (or at least come close). If the Celtics do win today, and even if it’s just one game, it’ll serve as the base for what needs to be done from an effort standpoint.

100 minutes of playoff experience for guys like Smart, IT, and Crowder will seem brief in hindsight, but could also pay dividends as early as next season. I believe Bill Simmons was the one who compared this series to being like grad school for the Celtics, especially Marcus Smart, who can take the pressure and magnitude of this series and walk into next year’s regular season feeling a lot more comfortable offensively.

Whenever this season wraps up, we’ll transition into a summer that’ll hopefully hold the fireworks we’ve been patiently awaiting. Ainge says there’s no timetable, and there are too many uncontrollable factors for there realistically to be. But flexibility will be at an all time high, and it’ll coincide with a roster full of guys who know what it takes to compete in the playoffs.

Page 2: Are the Raps set to blow it up?

Ujiri, the former Executive of the Year winner and the man behind the Raptors’ rise to playoff contention the past two years, said in a recent interview with the Toronto Star that he would not make any second thought pulling off the moves to push the Raps to the next move, including trading a cornerstone for a player that better fits their system.

Ujiri added that he’s going to evaluate their postseason performance over the past two seasons to see what kind of personnel the Raptors would need to match up well with Eastern Conference elites, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, and gain more playoff success in the future.

Yibada –  Raptors would trade DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas if right offer comes

Toronto’s feeling the wrath of Paul Pierce for a second consecutive year, and with that, probably realizing the elusive ‘it’ factor is missing from the roster. From a vulture standpoint, I’m not sure how many guys worth giving up assets to get. DeRozan was an all star last year, but he can’t shoot the three and that’s a problem if you’re in Stevens’ system. Jonas Valanciunas puts up nice numbers all around and is only 22 — but what would the asking price be?

And finally, this can’t be a good sign

Dwight Howard, a career 57% free throw shooter, answered with his own.

The rest of the links

CelticsBlog – How to turn IT to ‘superstar mode’

ESPN Boston – Cavaliers ignoring Boston’s bullying tactics

Grantland – The mailbag reunion tour continues