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.

just 5:13 into Wednesday’s season opener against the 76ers, with third overall pick Jahlil Okafor looking like the Rookie of the Year favorite, Sullinger entered the game and played as if he had ignored those detractors that had ripped his conditioning.

He finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 21 minutes in the Celtics’ 112-95 win. And his performance once again offered a glimpse of Sullinger’s potential. For stretches, he was the best big man on the floor after being considered buried on the bench after an erratic preseason.

Globe: Sullinger seized his opportunity

After Philadelphia 76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor scored eight quick points on Wednesday night — and with big man Kelly Olynyk suspended for the first game of the season for the Kevin Love arm-tugging incident in last season’s playoffs — Sullinger got an early chance to prove he deserves a steady rotation role.

Sullinger helped quiet Okafor, who scored only four points over the next 31 1/2 minutes of game action, and helped the Celtics rally from an early nine-point deficit en route to a 112-95 triumph over the 76ers in the season opener at TD Garden.

ESPN Boston: Sullinger doesn’t wait long to show he belongs in rotation

Jared Sullinger’s home opener is a case study in perspective.

This preseason saw him on the outside of the 4-man rotation of bigs. He struggled a bit in that role, missed a lot of free throws, and generally didn’t look great. I personally was asked about Sullinger’s future in every Q&A opportunity from fans to radio hosts. Sullinger had been cast out, doomed to 82 games in the ML Carr towel-waving role.

So when he spent 21 minutes on the floor last night being effective, and making some really nice plays, the masses reversed course, raised up their hands, and sang the praises of a young man rising above the fray! It’s a redemption! A resurrection!

But the reality is, Jared Sullinger had a pretty basic Jared Sullinger game last night. That player we saw out there last night is the same player we’ve seen for three years now. In fact, judged against the averages over his past two seasons, that game last night might be considered BELOW average. He’s been, basically, a 13 point, 8 rebound, 2 assist guy over the past couple of seasons. He had 12/7/2 last night.

Semantics aside, what we saw out of Jared Sullinger last night is exactly what Jared Sullinger is. He didn’t unveil any new wrinkles to his game. He still rebounded, played some decent D, made some nice passes, and missed a couple of threes.

I say all this not to poo poo his importance to the team last night or effort on the floor. Quite the contrary, in fact. He deserves the accolades he’s getting today for stepping in and helping hold off Jahlil Okafor. When you boil down everyone’s skills, Sullinger and his, ahem, wide base, are the team’s best chance against back-down power centers.

The point of all this is simply to say that the preseason mumbo jumbo about Sully somehow being washed was always bullshit. When Kelly Olynyk returns Friday, he’ll be part of that second unit rotation because it still works best that way, and Sullinger will probably still be the fifth of the five bigs. But that has never changed who Sullinger is and what he brings to the table. When he’s pressed into early service like he was last night, a game like that should not be unexpected.

Like I said in our season preview, Jared Sullinger will start a bunch of games this year, because even though he’s the fifth of five, the difference between five and one in this rotation isn’t very big. And because Sullinger has a good head on his shoulders, he’ll more often than not do what he did last night… come in, play hard, and do good things on the court. He’s a good basketball player, and we shouldn’t be surprised when he does good things.

Related links:  CSNNE: Sullinger ends up being big part of Celtics opener  |  MassLive: Sullinger capitalizes on opportunity

Page 2: Isaiah Thomas is gonna keep doing his thing

After the win, Stevens made it clear that he has no doubts about Thomas’ shooting even when he hits a stretch or two when shots aren’t falling with any regularity.

“I mean that’s the biggest thing,” Stevens said. “We’ve talked quite a bit about that: play with speed, play aggressive, play with spirit, let the chips fall where they may with him.”

While having an unflappable faith in one’s game certainly helps, Thomas is quick to point out the work he puts into his game that allows him to remain confident through the ups and downs that all scorers in the NBA experience.

“I work on it, each and every day,” Thomas said. “I know that some point in time, it’s going to fall. I have that confidence in my game, and I work on my craft, so I think the harder you work, and when it doesn’t happen in games, you go to what you know.

CSNNE: Thomas shakes off slow start to find shooting stroke

I’m a little upset after last night’s game that I didn’t predict that Thomas would average a career-high in assists this year… because he’s going to be in the right situation to do that. Hell, he might get three a game to Amir Johnson alone (he found Johnson four times last night).

That passing is going to open up his shooting because now Thomas is going to be a threat to burn teams with the pass. That’s not only a testament to Thomas, but also to Johnson, whom I’ve been relentlessly calling the team’s best screen-setter all season long.

It’s basic basketball… set good screens and you’ll get the ball when defenses overreact. Thomas did a fantastic job of reading that overreaction and hitting Johnson multiple times. It’s going to be a recurring theme all year long, and with guys who can spread the floor like Jonas Jerebko, Jared Sullinger, and Kelly Olynyk, that duo is going to be doing some serious damage.

Related links: Herald: Isaiah Thomas, Celtics go deep in opening win  |  WEEI: Isaiah Thomas shoots himself into a groove

And Finally…

…did you notice a new logo at the end of the court last night (and some new advertisements near the bench)? That’s because the Celtics unveiled a brand new court. 

“I’m excited about it,” Stevens said. “The floor looks great. We’re excited to kick it off.”

The Celtics’ floor is the only one in the NBA made of oak; the others are composed of maple. There are 264 panels, and two remain from the original floor. The parquet pattern was developed because of a wood shortage during World War II, as scraps were pieced together to create this accidentally historic look.

Rudolph “Spider” Edwards swept the floor during games for 33 years, starting in 1964, And on Wednesday, the Celtics brought back Edwards for a ceremonial sweep.

Former Garden employee of 30+ yrs Spider Edwards’s ceremonial 1st sweep of new parquet #BannerMoments #GreenRunsDeep pic.twitter.com/plr9iYoR8e

— TD Garden (@tdgarden) October 29, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The rest of the links

Herald: Celtics win a team effort  | Globe: Opening night rout fuels optimism  |  CSNNE: Okafor shows few jitters in debut  |  Aggressive play “hammers” Celtics to win  | ESPN Boston: As NBA season starts, time for this bus to roll  | MassLive: Sullinger, Thomas dominate in opening night win  |  Lee: watching Golden State ring ceremony brought back a lot of good memories