Your Morning Dump... Did you see that? Did you? Wasn't that awesome? Let's watch it again!

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.

On a fast break, Jaylen Brown delivered a left-handed, behind-the-back bounce pass to Jordan Mickey, leading the big man perfectly into a go-ahead running slam.

MassLive

Jaylen Brown went behind–the-back to Mickey for the one-handed slam to put the C’s ahead! pic.twitter.com/KGqJvP5aXC

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) October 14, 2016

That right there is some pretty, pretty basketball. Forget for a moment that this is the preseason, that it’s the Nets, that the Celtics probably should’ve already put this game to bed. Forget that this could’ve gone sideways in a real hurry and possibly cost Boston the game.

Just take a moment and enjoy exactly what it is that makes basketball, well, basketball. Different sports have their own appeal. If you’re a Bruins fan, you have to remember the excitement of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals. The overtime games, the close scores, Tim Thomas “standing on his head.” Not to mention the run-up to the series with Vancouver. Playoff hockey is something else.

But hockey doesn’t have this. This is professional sport that looks like choreography. It’s a major reason why those of us who are basketball fans are basketball fans. Those moments, maybe one or two a game, maybe more, where everybody moves in sync and things just click.

Page 2: Where Isaiah Thomas has to be remarkable

“I have to go in there and act like I’m not scared. Sometimes I am scared. But I try not to act like it.”

The key to scoring at such a high rate in such a tenuous position is to keep opponents on their heels. Thomas’ quick first step, his ability to score with both hands, and change the trajectory of his shot at the final second, has allowed him to make what some might consider the impossible possible for someone of his height.

“When you’re that size, you have to be remarkable,” said 6-foot-7 rookie Jaylen Brown, who has a similar slashing style to his offensive game, but does so with nearly a foot advantage over the 5-foot-7ish Thomas. “Isaiah, he’s one of the best in the league at what he does. For him to be that size — if he were 6-foot-2 he would probably be the best point guard in the league. He’s probably competing for that now.

Providence Journal

I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “you can’t teach height.” Brilliant observation, there, scout. Of course you can’t teach height. By the way, Kwame Brown was like 6′-11″.

By succeeding despite being short even by the standards of average Americans, Isaiah Thomas draws attention to just how much success at this level depends on cultivating skills, and not just relying on raw size and physical attributes. Isaiah’s moves are so smooth, I often find myself wondering, ‘why didn’t that get blocked?’ Small guy drives the lane gets up (a little bit), and hoists an under handed lob toward the basket right under the nose of a guy over a foot taller than him, who just stands there looking like he’s waiting for a bus.

When IT retires from basketball, he should take up sleight of hand tricks or running a three card monte table in an alley somewhere. Dude is an absolute master at misdirection and disguising what he’s going to do with the ball.

Page 3: Where Jaylen Brown is selling recruits on… Harvard?

Brown said he would like to see more top recruits choose traditional academic schools over national powers.

“I think it’s impactful,” he said. “I think it says you can do both [school and basketball] and start setting a trend. I did it and to see other people do it, and I think that becomes popular, that becomes cool. Education is important and I just want people to know that’s OK. You can do both. It’s not impossible.”

Boston Globe

Remember those coaches, scouts and GMs who were down on Jaylen Brown because he was ‘too intellectual’? Here’s what I want from articles that quote those sources: I want ballpark figures on those guys’ records.

Like this: “a Western conference scout whose team has missed the playoffs several times over the past five years said, ‘No way I’m drafting Brown. That kid’s a walking dictionary.'” Or, “A coach who has been fired four times in the last ten years referred to Brown as….”

I didn’t go to Harvard. I went to South Dakota State. It’s an ag school. It is so very much an ag school that they auction off a live pig during a basketball game every year. But the expectation in the athletic department there is that every team should have the best GPA in the league every year along with competing for NCAA tournament bids in every sport. It’s an entirely different atmosphere than the semi-pro teams that Calipari, Roy Williams and yes, even Krzyzewski are running these days. I agree with Jaylen Brown 100%.