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.

The Celtics retreated to the safe haven of the team hotel yesterday for some self-reflection, hopefully to better understand how, as one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, they could have returned from the All-Star break so flat.

“We just weren’t connected on either end of the floor. It’s kind of like a reflection of our practice,” Bradley said. “I don’t feel like we had a very good practice at either end of the floor and it kind of just carried over to the game. It’s unfortunate but we can learn from it a lot. We’ll watch film . . . and we need to just get the win (today).

Herald – Loss puts Cs in a foul mood

Flash forward 24 hours…

“We played our butts off,” Sullinger said. “Five guys connected. We got the rust off and are looking to move forward.”

[…]

“Our defense is still somewhere in the Caribbean,” [Mike] Malone said. “It was a lot more than just a lack of energy. It was a lack of fight, a lack of togetherness.

ESPN – Celtics vs. Nuggets – game recap

This was the ultimate rebound game for a Celtics team that is learning how to act and play like a top team in the league on a near nightly basis. The loss to Utah on Friday night was ugly, but could be explained away by a post-break malaise, the altitude, and the grumpiness and desperation of the opponent. I actually went to bed early Saturday morning (road trips are hard on fans, those late starts take ultimate viewing commitment) and shrugged the loss off pretty easily with those baked-in excuses in mind.

Good thing these Celtics don’t see it that way. They were certifiably angry last night and took it out on poor Mike Malone’s Nuggets.

I mean, if Jared Sullinger is trying to play hit butt off, which I think, if taken literally, is actually impossible, you know the message of Friday night’s loss was heard loud and clear. All of it was epitomized in the play that Mike highlighted in his game recap last night.

Road trips out west, albeit short ones like this three-game swing, can either sink or galvanize a team at this time of year. It was games out in Portland and Denver last season that served as watershed moments for the Cs playoff run in 2015 and while the Cs don’t need that type of spark this season, this road-trip serves as a stiff challenge coming off a break where everyone has blown smoke up this team’s ass.

Hopefully they stay angry tonight in ‘Sota.

Related links: CSNNE – Amazing play sums up Boston Celtics effort  |  ESPN – Hustle play highlights Boston Celtics’ inspired effort against Nuggets

On page 2, it’s the (not always sharp) shooting duo of Marcus and ET

Led by Evan Turner and Marcus Smart, the second unit has essentially become an extension of the starting lineup. That was again the case Sunday against the Nuggets.

Turner and Smart combined for 27 points, 17 of which came from Turner who also added nine rebounds and five assists. Smart was as active as usual on the defensive end, finishing with four steals.

Those two give the Celtics a boost upon entering the game.

“Evan and Marcus, you feel like you’re putting two starters in when you put them in,” Stevens told reporters after Sunday’s 121-101 win. “And we put them in together almost every time. So you feel like they’re a little different than whoever they come in for, but you feel like you’re just going to keep your level and maybe because of fatigue and everything else they’re fresh legs, they’re coming in ready to go, so you can maybe go on runs when they come in.”

CSNNE – Turner, Smart become tough tandem off the bench

One was slated to be a starter while considered to unquestionably be the face of the future for the post-big three Celtics. The other was seen by many as an odd fit and a low-risk flyer when he was scooped up as an off-season afterthought a year and a half ago.

Now, here they are, central figures on a bench unit that makes the Celtics an absolute chore to play against this season.

Neither of them can really shoot the ball from distance, although Turner will tell you that his 15% clip from the outside is a dangerous 15% and Smart is beginning to knock down shots with a bit more consistency. They both, however, can do a lot of little things well. Smart’s defense and hustle is what makes plays like last night’s “ode to effort” happen. Turner is submitting more and more complete offensive performances filled with great passing, mid-range magic and tough finishes off isolation plays.

With Kelly Olynyk sidelined for a few more weeks, and thus the offensive efficiency of the second unit primed to dip, we’ll need more tandem performances from the pairing that everyone saw leading the Cs second unit coming into the season (because this was the one we all had, not David Lee and James Young).

Related links: Herald – Turner, Smart a dynamic duo

And finally, it’s not easy being green, but the Pelicans are trying

On ESPN radio, Davis says Alvin Gentry told the Pelicans after the All-Star break to play like the Celtics play. Scrappy, with energy.

— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) February 22, 2016

Coaches ’round the league, take notice: If you compel your team to play like the Celtics play, your star player will go for 59 and 20. It’s that simple, really.

The rest of the links: 

ESPN Boston – David Lee to join Dallas Mavericks with deal in place  |  CSNNE – Stevens: ‘A good pride about us the whole day’  | Herald – Technical difficulties arise