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.

“In our conversations — and even publicly — Popovich has talked about the benefits of continuity, the benefit of having those Big Three together through all the different people that have been here. I think that the term he uses, and I love the term, is ‘corporate knowledge,'” explained Stevens. “So when you watch teams that have a culture and a continuity, then whoever is there, they know what they are doing, night in and night out. They know what pitfalls might occur and how to address them. They know how to handle success. They know they have probably had experience of not doing either well, and how to go about it the next time. We all admire that. First of all, Popovich is the best in the business. And then, secondly, he’s been there 18 years and those guys have been with him for a large part of that. And that really, really — it’s a group working together in every way.”

[…] “I’ve heard this term thrown around basketball circles some, but certainly other industries as well, it’s a great opportunity to build and extend our corporate knowledge,” Stevens said when asked about the benefit of Boston’s postseason foray. “Being able to reflect back on times where we guarded an action a certain way because we were forced to do so — and being able do that on the fly, maybe, next time. Being able to adjust to how somebody else is guarding us better, because we can reflect back on it.”

ESPN Boston: Brad Stevens and the pursuit of “corporate knowledge”

Most people just call this “experience.”  The concept of going through trials and tribulations as a group, learning different things about the game together, and sharing and drawing on those experiences later to succeed where you failed.

But not Brad Stevens. For him, it’s beyond that. It’s “corporate knowledge” because “experience” doesn’t quite capture the essences of what he’s looking for.

It’s almost as if Brad Stevens is now some sort of created character whose base is that guy from Indiana who once worked at a pharmaceutical company, and all the added layers are bits of knowledge gleaned from corporate success handbooks and the heads of legendary coaches.

In Stevens’ mind, a successful NBA team mirrors a successful corporation in structure and execution of business plan. Those of you who have played organized sports and now work in the corporate world can probably see the parallels. How egos can ruin a team dynamic… how poor management can sour even the most ideal of situations… and how a lack of flexibility can ultimately lead to a company’s downfall.

Which brings me back to my idea of who the best coaches in any sport really are.

Bad “good” coaches, Mike D’Antoni comes to mind, have a system… a steadfast philosophy that they force feed teams that aren’t truly built for that style. Those teams fail, even if they could have succeeded playing a different way.

Other coaches, of course Pop is my go-to example, recognize how their team has evolved, and do things like win a championship with a heavier emphasis on the offensive end when prior success has been a defense-first mentality.

And that’s where corporate knowledge, a.k.a. experience kicks in. After years in the business, good, forward-thinking companies adjust with the times after recognizing market trends. They understand the employees demands of the past aren’t the employee demands of the present, even if you have some of those older employees in the building. Things that used to work might not work as well, or at all, down the line.

Another part of that is continuity… keeping the right people with the company for a long time. That’s going to be tough in a system built to tear good teams apart. Unless part of the next CBA includes some measures to help teams better retain talent (doubtful), that continuity is going to be tough unless the culture is so amazing around Boston that guy start taking discounts to stay home rather than chase slightly bigger paydays.

Brad Stevens aspires to be the Spurs, basically (just look at him soaking up everything Pop has to say in that gif), and he makes no secret of that. And his pursuit of that level of success is going to be the most Brad Stevens-y road ever.

Related links:  Herald: Celtics discover drawing card in Stevens

Page 2: I wouldn’t hurt to get a Tim Duncan type either

This dude just turned 39.  All he did against Lob City was play 39 minutes, score 21 points on 8-13 fg, and add 4 assists, 3 steals, and that amazingly clutch block on Blake Griffin in a 111-107 win over Doc’s Clippers in Game 5. The series now goes back to San Antonio for a potentially series-clinching Game 6, and a first-round exit for Doc and friends.

So yeah, being the Spurs is great and all… having a guy like Tim Duncan is a great place to start.

As an aside… hey Doc…

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Here’s a tweet I wish I saw this morning:

And Finally…

Speaking of tweets…

Lots of people hate Kelly Olynyk in Cleveland right now… but some people are getting creative with their Twitter hate:

I HOPE YOU REALLY LIKE SOMEONE YOU’VE TALKED TO A FEW TIMES AND WHEN YOU SEE THEM AGAIN THEY SAY “NICE TO MEET YOU” @KELLYOLYNYK

— sportsyelling. (@sportsyelling) April 27, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsJay King has assembled a few more amusing ones over here at MassLive.

The rest of the links:

Globe: Celtics have pieces to be proactive this offseason  |  Herald: Celtics final report card  |  CSNNE: Smart shows growth as a player, leader  |  Celtics “covering all the bases” in rebuild  |  How close are the Celtics to Banner 18?  |  Boston.com: Taking a look at the future Celtics roster, piece by piece