Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

With an eye toward maximizing his team’s strengths this season, second-year coach Brad Stevens put an emphasis on pace and space. The Celtics have responded by cranking the tempo — now averaging 99.18 possessions per 48 minutes, fourth best in the league — and their offensive rating has ballooned to 107.1 with just about everyone pitching in.

“We’re just getting up and down, it’s really fluid, moving the ball well,” said second-year center Kelly Olynyk, who is averaging 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds over 27 minutes per game. “Everyone is contributing and everyone is a threat.”

[…] The increased tempo and all those offensive rebounds leave Boston tops in the league in field goal attempts and second in points (106.3 per game). The Green are sixth in field goal percentage (47.4 percent), suggesting they’re making good things happen when they take care of the ball — even if it’s not coming as much beyond the 3-point arc as expected.

“I think the [offensive] mindset is pretty good,” said Stevens. “I think that the stuff that we are trying to do hopefully fits our personnel. Clearly, the pace has helped. I think the biggest key is just continuing to play unselfishly. And I think, as a result, we’ve rebounded better on offense. Not because all of a sudden we’re 7-foot-2 and the best rebounders in the world, but because the ball is moving and we’re creating rotations and then we’ve got run-ins to rebound.”

ESPN Boston: Explaining the C’s improbable production

The Celtics offense can be explained most simply in two words:  rebounding and defense.

Oh, yes, the Celtics defense is ranked 25th by one (very important) measure, in which they allow 110.1 points per 100 possessions.  That’s not good.

BUT…

They are 12th in the league in steals per game.  Not tremendous, but consider that last year they were ranked 23rd, so there’s a bit of a jump.  What does that mean?

The Celtics are, in stretches playing pretty good defense and forcing live-ball turnovers (basically a fancy word for they get steals), and they’re getting out in transition.  They’re not doing a great job of stopping teams from scoring, and they go long stretches where the rotations aren’t great and, without a shot blocker to bail them out, they allow too many easy looks as a result.  But when the defense is on point, they can force steals and get out and run.

The rebounding is the big thing (thank you Jared Sullinger & Kelly Olynyk).  Offensive rebounding is obviously a great way to extend possessions and get a bunch of extra shots up, but the defensive rebounding is a HUGE factor in all of this.  Every time they limit a team to just one shot, that’s extra time on the clock to get out and get their own shots up.  Once they get out in transition, they can take quick shots and, as the chaos of transition causes defenses to miss assignments, trailing players can swoop in for put-backs on misses.

Last year the Celtics averaged 12.1 fastbreak points per game, good for 20th in the NBA. They’re averaging 16 so far this year, good for 6th in the league and less than a point from the league-leading Golden State Warriors.  Transition is the name of the game here.  By getting more steals, stops, and running more, the Celtics are able to get more chances.  And those chances end up being good ones, because they’re mostly up close.  The under-sized Boston Celtics are currently the league leaders in points in the paint (47 ppg).  That is more than a 9 point improvement from the team that was second to last in this category last season.

Let’s not forget one last factor in all of this:  Rajon Rondo’s ability to create layups for his teammates.  Look no further than Tyler Zeller, who is currently shooting almost 86%… after shooting 54% in the preseason.  Rondo has found him and others in the paint for good looks… opportunities that didn’t exist last season.

It all starts with stops (or as KWAPT would say… STOPZZZZZZZ).  From there, Brad Stevens’ mantra of pace and space takes over as the Celtics push the ball and create easy chances to score.  Will the Celtics offense cool off?  Maybe.  But if the Celtics defense improves, it could make up for the difference by allowing even more transition opportunities, which is where Rondo and great passing bigs like Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk can take advantage, create chaos, and score points.

Related links:  Globe:  Statistics show quick improvement  |  MassLive: Surprising start reveals promising improvements

Page 2: Commissioner burns Knicks, Jackson… sensitive “Zen Master” responds

Silver was asked about the Knicks’ new offense Thursday prior to their loss to the Brooklyn Nets.

“I watched the Knicks’ game last night,” Silver said with a laugh. “Clearly, they’re still learning the triangle. I still don’t understand it. But they’re learning it. But that’s what the game is all about. You have a new coach; you have a new president of basketball operations in Phil Jackson; you have a couple new players on the team.”

[…] “I wasn’t so humored by the commissioner actually jumping in on top of that, too,” he said. “He doesn’t need to get in on that. There’s enough focus on [the] triangle. It’s not anything. It’s a system. It’s simple basketball. Just play the game. We’re over the triangle; let’s get to business and play the right way.”

ESPN:  Jackson: Enough focus on the triangle

The New York Knicks are 2-6 so far this season and 2 games behind the Celtics in the standings (I know it’s only November, just give me this moment, ok?)  They are last in the league in points scored with 91.1 per game.  They’re 18th in field goal percentage.  Their overall offensive rating of 102.7 points per 100 possessions is good for 20th overall and their pace (number of possessions per 48 minutes) is a league-worst 88.7 (compared to the Celtics 96.3, 4th in the NBA).

So, sorry, Phil… we’re going to focus on your offense.

I’m bothered by Phil and his system because it doesn’t fit the Knicks.  And when he went to the Knicks, installed his puppet head coach, and tried to pound his round-peg players into a triangle-sized hole, he committed, to me, a cardinal sin of coaching.

If you don’t have the players to fit your system, and you can’t get the players to fit in your system, then you adjust your system.  That’s what good coaches, like Gregg Popovich, do.  And this is why I’d take Pop over Phil to coach my team every single day of the week.

As the Spurs’ stars aged and a new supporting cast came on board, the Spurs went from a purely defensive-minded team to a more offensive team that catered to its new personnel.  No, they didn’t suddenly become the Golden State Warriors, but a few years ago, Pop saw that he needed to shift his philosophy to allow for a more free-flowing offense that better utilized Tony Parker and the cast of shooters the Spurs had off the bench.

Did Jackson adjust anything for the Knicks?  Did he and Derek Fisher look at this roster full of ball-stopping iso players and modify their offense to include a little less triangle and a little more pick-and-roll to suit the guys who are on this roster?

No.

This is what truly separates greatness, in my opinion.  The really great ones look at their teams and say “I had a plan, but these guys can’t execute my original plan.  So let’s make a new plan.”  Red did it.  Popovich did it.

That’s why they’re both ahead of him on my list of All-Time great coaches.

And Finally…

Evan Turner has an “ET” chain.  That is all.

The rest of the links:

Herald:  Pressey on point  |  CSNNE:  Powell embracing opportunity to play in D-League  |  Stevens: Smart improving by the day  | Rondo on track to practice Tuesday  |  Education of Marcus Smart:  (1) Dominating high school — (2) Dealing with loss of brother — (3) Pressure under spotlight  |  ESPN Boston:  Smart embracing rehab on road back  |  Boston.com:  Smart “progressing well” |  MassLive: Rondo appears on track for Wednesday return