Your Morning Dump... Where that's more like it!

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.

Thomas had talked furiously over the last two days about the C’s various shortcomings, which more than anything might come down to a matter of intensity.

And the 5-foot-9 Celtics guard more than made up for that early on last night.

Thomas scored the Celtics’ first five points, including a 3-pointer that Smart immediately followed up with one of his own.

By the time Thomas checked out in the last minute of the quarter, he had 11 points, three assists and two rebounds — numbers that had a lot to do with the Celtics’ 31-27 lead after one.

Not that they were doing well on the defensive end. The Knicks shot 48 percent over the first 12 minutes.

The current sorriness of both sides became apparent during a four-shot possession by the Knicks early in the second quarter. New York grabbed five offensive boards during the sequence, but also ended the chance by throwing the ball away.

Boston Herald

Periodically I go on Igor Mitic’s podcast/internet talk radio chat, and when I do, he asks me to predict outcomes over the games on the schedule.

Invariably, they’re games I think the Celtics should win, and invariably, so far, they have lost. Last week I predicted a 2-0 run vs. the Nuggets and Wizards, and piled on by saying that the Celtics rarely get blown out because they usually play with a chip on their shoulders.

So, Igor, if you’re reading this, I’m not making any more predictions!

But there was one subject we discussed–Boston’s defense–that I think is worth revisiting. So far this season, Boston’s defense has been, well, underwhelming. That’s due to a number of factors–not least of which include injuries to two of the team’s best individual defenders (Crowder and Smart), and the difficulty of incorporating two new rotation players (one a rookie) into what is a decidedly team-oriented defensive system (often, if one guy blows his assignment, and you’ve got five guys who look kind of like they’re out of place). And that was before one of those new guys got hurt.

However, even with all of those factors addressed in time–healthy bodies and game time reps in the system–this year’s team might not be as tough defensively as last year’s. And that could be okay. Because this year’s team is having a much easier time scoring. Like so much so that the team’s offensive and defensive rankings have practically flip-flopped in the early going.

What’s important is discovering and executing the best way for this year’s team to win, as opposed to trying to force it into last year’s mold.

Page 2: Where Horford’s making progress

“The past two days have been really good for me,” said Horford, who missed his fifth straight game on Friday night. “I was able to get on the court a lot more. I was able to run up and down, do a lot of movement, a lot of stuff I wasn’t able to do a couple of days ago.”

Celtics coach Brad Stevens indicated before the game that Horford would only travel if there were a good chance he would play in at least one of the two road games.

“It’s a really good sign,” Horford said. “I’m happy that I get to travel now and I’m looking forward to being close to playing.”

Horford said he had been hit in the head before, but never had experienced concussion symptoms.

“I honestly didn’t understand it before now,” he said. “I would always hear stuff, see documentaries and stuff, but you don’t fully understand (until it happens to you). With an ankle or a knee, I’ve played through pain. It’s no problem. With the brain, it’s a little different.

“It’s been a challenge for me. I’ve had to be patient. But the good thing is that now I am at the point where I am starting to feel good again.”

Providence Journal

It’ll be nice to have Horford back for the Celtics. Although I have not been a huge fan of starting Kelly Olynyk alongside Horford, it’ll be interesting to see what happens when the two of them are out there, given the pretty impressive overall +/- that each is carrying.

While I think you create problems when you don’t have a big enough body to defend the 5 spot effectively, that may not be a huge issue against teams that use the center position primarily for defense as opposed to offense (in today’s league the desideratum for a center is often a ‘rim protector’–a guy who can alter/stop the drive on a pick and roll as opposed to a scorer). In that case, the Celtics have the opportunity to field a pair of bigs who have to be defended all the way out to the three point line, and I don’t think many teams have two bigs that are comfortable and capable of defending that much space. It presents a unique scenario where you’re leaving the lane open, or leaving one of the two guys open, or occasionally, both. It’s certainly an interesting scenario to contemplate, for now, and observe as early as tonight–but probably more like Monday.