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

With only 10 weeks to prepare for the marathon to begin with, Herren, who said he ran only when he was being punished by a coach, didn’t have much time to build endurance for the 26.2-mile trek. The weather didn’t help matters either, and though the conditions were perfect in Boston for the race, an especially brutal end to winter made training for it miserable for the first-time marathoner.

After 6 Hours & Seventeen Seconds, Chris Herren A Marathon Man-Sam Gardner

Former Celtic and current CSNNE part-time color commentator Chris Herren completed his first Boston Marathon yesterday in a time of 6 hours and 17 seconds. When you factor in the amount of time that Herren had to train for the race along with the injuries he was dealing with, it’s pretty impressive that he finished period. Herren had roughly 2 months to prepare for the race, and was battling not only a nagging ganglion cyst on his ankle, but also a torn tendon is his foot. But neither ailment stopped Herren from finishing the 26.2 mile journey.

“It was, no doubt, the toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life, athletically,” Herren said after his time became official. “Every part of your body hurts, and I had to fight myself the whole time, thinking things hurt more than they really do. But finishing is a beautiful thing.”

Herren’s foundation, “The Herren Project”, which helps people dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction, raised $60,000 in the weeks & months leading up to the race. He was joined by two fellow recovering addicts/alcoholics as he made the grueling trip from Hopkinton to Copley Square. Whether you like Herren or not, you have to respect how he has dedicated his life to helping others. Since getting clean about five years ago, he has spent the majority of his time trying to help folks avoid the tough road that he went down. That, and helping people who have become trapped in the horrors of addiction find a way to get back on their feet. You can find out more about the Herren Project by visiting their website.

Great to see my pal @c_herren finish the #BostonMarathon today. Here he is about 100 yards from the finish line: pic.twitter.com/VySlZR4mIQ

— sam_gardner (@sam_gardner) April 21, 2014

Page 2: Doc & J.O. get into it at Staples

During the first half of the ass-whooping LA laid on Golden State last night, Doc Rivers took exception to Jermaine O’Neal’s aggressive defense on DeAndre Jordan. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like Doc is saying: “oh we can go hard..we can go hard..”. Both were assessed a technical foul. Should be a wild atmosphere in Oakland on Thursday night when the series heads to Oracle Arena for G3. If you think you can decipher what Doc & J.O. were saying, let us know in the comments.

And finally, a couple of other former Celtics played big roles in their teams’ playoff games last night. Kendrick Perkins’ put back as time expired sent the Thunder-Grizz game to OT, but Courtney Lee’s two free-throws with 19 seconds left sealed the Grizzlie’s big G2 win over OKC.

The rest of the links:

NBA.com: Vote Rajon Rondo For 2013-14 Community Assist Award | Joakim Noah Named NBA DPOY