Your Morning Dump... Where the Celtics Hit Their Stride as the All-Star Break Approaches

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.

While the Patriots will unquestionably dominate today’s headlines, the Celtics success should not go unnoticed, as yesterday’s 107-102 victory over the Clippers gives them seven straight wins and a 33-18 record. Paul Pierce played sparingly in his final game at the TD Garden, but the crowd’s relentless chanting for Pierce forced Coach Doc Rivers to insert him into the game for the final minute. He drilled a three in the closing seconds to punctuate the emotional send-off.

In his last appearance at the Garden in the final season of his career, Paul Pierce walked off into the North End sunset, hitting a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left and turning to salute the crowd as the last seconds drained from a 107-102 Celtics’ victory against his Clippers yesterday.

Pierce was making a late cameo after playing the game’s first 4:47 and missing his only shot. Three quarters-ful of “We want Paul” chants later, the wishes of the sellout were granted.

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“The crowd was amazing,” Rivers said. “They are amazing. It was amazing how many of our players made comments about it. Like, ‘Wow, these people are amazing.’ And they are.”

Pierce seemingly made time for all of them as he worked his way down the hall through staff and friends toward the bus. Even as the movie’s credits rolled, he was intent on embracing every moment in the day’s light.

Boston Herald

Paul Pierce made his NBA debut on February 5th 1999 (a lockout shortened season), and exactly 18 years later, he played in Boston for the final time. It was less emotional than when he returned with the Brooklyn Nets three seasons ago. But on this Sunday afternoon, he entered the area decked out in Patriots gear, and left the court in style, sinking a three as the crowd said goodbye one last time.

Pierce has only played in 13 games for the Clippers this season, averaging 11.7 minutes and 3.7 points on 37 percent shooting, a sharp dichotomy from the hall-of-fame numbers Pierce produced during his Boston days. The Clippers coaching staff insists he will have an expanded role during the playoffs. The 39 year old Pierce doesn’t have much left, but Los Angeles hopes his clutch shooting and veteran experience will propel them once the postseason arrives.

Here’s the tribute video shown in the 1st Quarter:

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/828326164867354624

Page 2: Where the Torch is Passed from Pierce to Isaiah

“I told him I’m proud of what he’s been able to do for this organization,” Pierce said Sunday, before the Celtics’ 107-102 win over the Clippers. “This city will get behind you as long as you continue to work hard and compete at a high level and soak it all up. There’s no place like this place in the NBA. It’s kind of what we talked about. And I said, I told him, ‘Enjoy it. Enjoy every moment.’ ”

Pierce said in an interview with the Globe on Friday that he views Thomas as a championship-caliber player. Thomas has long said he considers praise from peers to be most important, and said he was humbled by these latest words from Pierce.

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“He’s taken it,” Pierce said. “He’s taken the torch, man. The city is proud of him for what he’s doing. You know, I keep up. I’ve been watching him. And especially where he’s come from, I mean, he’s been on like three or four different teams and now he’s finally established himself as an NBA MVP candidate, All-Star. Just the route that he took: He wasn’t projected to really do much in the NBA as a small guy, and so he’s taken a different route than a lot of us, and he definitely could carry the torch in his time here.”

Boston Globe

Isaiah Thomas through 51 games is averaging 29.9 points, 6.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 8.7 free throw attempts, shooting 47 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. The last Celtic to put up these numbers? Paul Pierce. During the 2005-2006 season, he averaged 26.8 points, 4.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds, and 10.3 free throw attempts, shooting 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from three.

Isaiah’s 29.9 scoring average is second in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook. It would tie for the highest per game figure in Celtics history — Larry Bird averaged 29.9 during the 1987-1988 season.

For the first time in a seemingly long stretch, the Celtics did not depend heavily on IT’s scoring during Sunday’s Clippers victory. He scored 28 points and only shot 3/11 from three-point range, but still led the balanced scoring attack featuring seven players in double figures. We’ve grown so accustomed to his scoring outbursts, it seems like there’s something off whenever he fails to reach 30.

Even in Paul Pierce’s best days, we never saw a stretch like Isaiah’s past two months. Former Globe writer Bob Ryan calls Paul Pierce the best scorer in Celtics history, and Isaiah this year is matching or surpassing the best individual seasons from Pierce.

Related: MassLive | CSNNE

Page 3: Where Horford Quietly Shines

Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan came into the day averaging nearly 23 rebounds a game combined for the Los Angeles Clippers, but the Celtics were able to call the battle of the boards a virtual draw in a 107-102 victory thanks to a season-high 15 rebounds from their prized free-agent acquisition.

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Horford came into the day averaging just 6.6 rebounds a game for the often glass-challenged Celtics, but said he was able to take advantage of the matchup in a bit of a throwback effort for the player who averaged at least 9.3 rebounds a game in five of his first six NBA seasons.

“It was not necessarily being more aggressive on the boards,” he said. “The difference was that I got to stay more around the paint area. If you look at the games, usually I am out on the perimeter guarding the guards, contesting (3-point shots), and I’m away from the basket.”

Providence Journal

Al Horford’s season has come under scrutiny over the past month. The $27 million offseason addition is averaging career lows in rebounds (6.8 per game) and field goal percentage (45.6 percent) while missing 12 games. Although Horford is averaging career highs in blocks (1.7 per game) and assists (5.3 per game), he’s received some criticism for his overall vanilla numbers and his lack of presence as the team’s number two option.

But against the Clippers talented front line of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, he pulled down a season-high 15 rebounds, as the Celtics stayed even in the rebounding battle (36 total to the Clippers 38). It was the first time in almost a month he reached double figures for rebounds. He added 13 points, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.

I still think Horford’s has better days ahead of him, as Brad Stevens is still searching for the optimal Horford-centric lineups. He’s probably the biggest reason the Celtics have improved so drastically in offensive rating. But there’s still uncertainty on how to maximize his defensive impact. One school of thought says he should play his natural power forward position, but some numbers indicate he’s better guarding centers, and is a liability chasing quicker power forwards. What happens or doesn’t happen at the trade deadline should clarify this uncertainty.