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.

After the Miami Heat fell Saturday night, the Boston Celtics could potentially clinch a playoff berth this weekend.

With a win against Cleveland on Sunday and an Indiana loss to Oklahoma City, the Celtics will seal a spot in the postseason. The scenario certainly isn’t impossible. LeBron James could sit out against Boston and the Thunder are looking to scrape into the playoffs.

Over the final three games of the regular season, the Celtics need two wins to qualify for the playoffs automatically. If they win once, they will also need the Pacers to lose at least once, or the Nets to go 1-2 (or 0-3) over their final three games. It’s possible for the Celtics to go 0-3 and still make the postseason, but they would need some help from their competitors.

Masslive – NBA Eastern Conference Standings

It’ll take some help from Westbrook and the depleted Thunder, who are in Indy playing a team equally desperate for a win. The Pacers also have Paul George back, but my gut says Westbrook does his 40-15-10 thing and gets the win. Assuming so, the Celtics have an opportunity to get a win at home against the LeBron-less Cavs and set themselves up for a playoff berth by the end of the night.

I’m actually looking forward to a potential 2/7 matchup with the Cavs, (especially after reading this conversation this morning). It’d be brutal to watch LeBron go to the line 16 times a game, but the thought of James having to step back into the Garden –the last place he played a playoff game for Cleveland — is awesome. Plus Kyrie and Love are new to the playoffs so maybe they’ll choke. LeBron did.

Page 2: Steeze is back, dropping 36 in the D-League

And with that performance, Jordan Crawford eliminates the Maine Red Claws from the playoffs and exacts revenge on Danny Ainge for trading him last year. Crawford’s case is pretty strange — one would think that he would have gotten an offer from a team following the 2013-14 season. He showed solid overall point guard skills in Boston, won player of the week, but then struggled once he was traded to the Warriors (kinda like Turner in Indy). Apparently NBA teams weren’t impressed, as he instead played five games in China and is now back in the D-League.

In the Red Claws loss, James Young played 38 minutes and scored 11 on 4-8 shooting, and Babb put in 16. I assume since the season is over, both will be with the team today and for the rest of the season.

And finally, here’s Big Baby trying to remove a shirt from a backboard

Yeah, no.

The rest of the links:

Herald – Brandon Bass strikes a low, steady tone

ESPN Boston – Who is the Celtics’ MVP?

CSNNE – Welsh on Celtics: ‘I think they’re fearless