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.

“I’ve never seen a team constructed like this where one through three, I’m not sure the Celtics are certainly in the top half of the league and maybe in the bottom ten,” said Sean Grande on Sports Tonight. “Four through twelve, you can make a case that this is the best team in the NBA. Nobody goes this ten, eleven, twelve deep.”

CSNNE: Sean Grande “Never seen a team constructed like this

“This year is going to be challenging because of the equality,” said president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. “Even up to this point, there really hasn’t been clear-cut winners and losers, and I think that’s going to be a challenge. That’s going to be a tough thing for Brad to manage until guys clearly win jobs.”

But this is where the culture Ainge and Stevens created could be beneficial. The locker room is now filled with hard-working, high-character players who seem to buy into the notion that they are only as good as the sum of their parts. And when they witness the success Stevens has had, it makes it easier to believe in him.

“They’re pros. You’ve got to be a pro,” Stevens said. “I mean, it stinks. I’d like to play everybody equally. But they only let us play five at once, you know?

“We just have to make decisions. We just have to be able to say this is who we are and this is who we’ve got to be and this is a lot of fun when you do it this way. But it does require some sublimation of ego, right? And these guys have been great about that.”

Globe: Brad Stevens tackles the puzzle that is the Celtics rotation

I’ll just get this out of the way…. Here’s what sublimation means in this context.

We have a coach that uses the word sublimation. Correctly. I don’t think that’s gonna make it on many inspirational shirts.

From the man who brought us “embrace the process” in 2014… comes the inspirational Celtics shirt of 2015…. “We require a sublimation of ego!”… just $29.99 in  Celtics store.

The Boston Celtics begin their extended preseason tonight by taking on the Philadelphia 76’ers in a game that will actually count on their 2015-16 record. And of course, tonight brings with it a challenge that could spark other challenges that, without said sublimation, could present a big challenge.

Follow me?

Kelly Olynyk is absurdly out for tonight’s game because of the Kevin Love injury (absurdly because, as we’ve all noted here many times, that play happens a million times a season and, even when it’s called a foul, it’s just a foul. But Olynyk was suspended because Kevin Love awkwardly got hurt. Anyway…) which means Jared Sullinger may well occupy the Olynyk spot in the rotation.

Sullinger will be asked to space the floor and move the ball, things he’s capable of doing. In my opinion, he’ll thrive best in the David Lee or Kelly Olynyk roles on this roster, and might struggle more if he’s asked to play the Amir Johnson or Tyler Zeller role. Injuries to the latter two might require more shuffling of the lineup.

So if Sullinger comes out and does actually thrive in tonight’s season opener, then we have that first drop of water on the forehead. Gone unchecked, the long-slow water torture that began with a great performance followed by low, or no, minutes could be too much for the non-sublimated ego of one Mr. Sullinger to endure… and would thus provide Brad Stevens with his first budding challenge.

That’s not how I think it will go, though. You might be able to say a few things about Sully, but he’s not stupid, He sees his place, but he’s kept his spirits up in the preseason. He’s got a great support system in his family and the coaching staff seems really good about keeping potential problems in check.

Still, as Bob Ryan noted, it’s hard for a dozens guys who play mostly at the same talent level to all buy in and sacrifice for the greater good.  Tonight is night one of 81 where we get to see if it works.

This is going to be one hell of a crazy season. I’ve settled on 47 wins as the total… a 7-game improvement taking into account a horrible Atlantic division and a deep roster. The machines keep predicting wild things, but then within those wild predictions are things that make some sense. Like that prediction I just linked to has the absurd notion that the Celtics are getting the second seed in the East… but it also pegs them at 49 wins.

That’s only two more than I’ve got, and I can easily see how that would happen. Is it possible the rest of the East is so even that the C’s will rise to a second seed? Will we, in March, be looking at the last week of the season as a “the Celtics can be seventh, or they could be second” scenario?

That’s so far away it’s impossible to know. What we do know is this: The Celtics will be a good team. Maybe not great, but good. Good enough to win more than they lose. Also, Brooklyn will be a bad team. Maybe not the worst, but bad enough to lose a bunch more than they win. Right now, with that outlook in mind, I’m pretty damned pumped to get this season going.

Page 2: Marcus Smart is ready for this season’s challenges

On the eve of his second season, Smart guarded the full range of backcourt royalty, in addition to his share of small forwards. His offense is emerging, but he expects his defense to remain uniformly high.

“The offense is going to be there,” Smart said. “Anybody can get hot. But defense is the common denominator. Your defense cannot change. You can be horrible on offense and still make a difference in the game with the effort you put in on defense.

“Some nights I might be better. I’m not saying I’m perfect or the same every night, because I’m human. I’ll have a bad night. But I’m going to have more good than bad.”

Herald: Marcus Smart welcomes challenges of NBA’s best

Marcus Smart can be a star (which is something discussed in the latest Rainin’ J’s podcast), but I don’t want him to go the route of so many guys before him… who sacrifice defense in order to focus on their offense.

As I’ve said in the past, the best way to rest on the floor as guard is to attack the basket and get foul calls. By the time you walk to the line and get your free throws, you’ll have had a solid 30 seconds to stop and catch your breath. Not only that, you get to score points while you’re doing it. WIN-WIN!

Smart is a massive key to this team’s success. He won’t shut everyone down… but I just want him to make guys earn their points. It’s almost like Tom Brady and the Patriots throwing all the time. Yeah, he might take some hits early, but they force big pass rushes to keep working their asses off… and by the fourth quarter, they’re cooked. I want Smart to do that on the defensive end… force guys to keep working and working and working… so by the fourth quarter, they’re short on their jumpers and less likely to get into the lane.

He’s got a bright future… this is going to be a fun year seeing how Smart has progressed… and how he’ll continue to grow.

And Finally…

… the NBA season opened last night, and Steph Curry picked up right where he left off.

Curry was the MVP last season, but he’s even better now; against New Orleans he started proving it all over again by scoring 24 points in the first quarter alone…. Curry finished with 40 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds and basically looked unguardable all night.

If you didn’t get a chance to see it, man was it pretty. That first quarter was pure Steph, just as ridiculous and awesome as he was last season.

The rest of the links:

Globe: Lee brings winning attitude  |  Bradley has long range plan  |  Celtics have improved, but they’re not in better position  |  Celtics’ youthful core is brimming with potential |  Bests and worsts for upcoming NBA season  |  Herald:  Celtics hope they’ve found key leader in Lee  |  Remembering Flip Saunders  |  CSNNE: Fans line up to sink Felger in dunk tank  |  Isaiah Thomas on friendship with Mayweather  |  Newcomers Lee, Johnson, great fits with Celtics  |  Rookies have already made an impact  |  Defense key to continued improvement  |  ESPN Boston: Celtics celebrate a new season, and a golden birthday  |  Long hair does care: Jae Crowder energizes Celtics  |  Lee disappointed to miss Warriors ring ceremony  |  MassLive:  Evan Turner has waited a long time for Golden Birthday  |  Lee disappointed to miss Warriors ring ceremony