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.

The rookie continued to play at a high level at both ends of the court until the final buzzer sounded. He wound up tallying 15 points over the final 21-plus minutes of the game. What stood out to his teammates even more so than the points, however, were his momentum-shifting plays at the other end.

“He just changes the pace of the game, especially on defense,” said Kelly Olynyk. “He’s up on people, making plays on the defensive end, whether it’s steals, a couple of charges, or just making it tough, wearing guys down.”

Turner had a front row seat to watch that top-notch defense. He played alongside Smart for the final 21-plus minutes of the game and later explained what he saw on the court.

“His defense. His tenacity,” Turner stated. “You can tell a lot of other guards don’t like going up against him, for the most part. Once they feel his strength and stuff, they look back and kind of say, ‘This kid’s for real.’”

Celtics.com: Smart inspires C’s comeback

Stevens described his decision to roll with the backups as a “no-brainer.”

“Those guys deserved to play at the end,” Stevens said. “They got us right back in it. It was nothing against the guys that started. When you go from down 20 whatever we were, to right back in the game. Those guys deserved to play.”

And while several players were part of the comeback, most of the Celtics pointed towards Smart’s leadership at both ends of the floor as being the catalyst.

“Just to see him battle back, it shows his toughness,” said Evan Turner who like Smart, was among the bench players to see extended minutes. “He plays hard and set the tone for us and took a lot of great charges and showed he’s a big game player.”

CSNNE:  Smart “deserved to play” over Rondo

Remember when we were trying to guess how many wins the Celtics might have had if Marcus Smart had been on the floor after his sprained ankle?

I’m not sure what the number would have been, but it’s safe to say he would have had a big impact, and I’m guessing there are a couple of instances of opposing guards running roughshod on the Celtics that would have gone differently.

The Celtics climbed out of a hole as deep as 23 points with 2:28 left in the third (just a couple of minutes after Smart and Evan Turner checked in to become the Celtics backcourt for the rest of the evening), and 16 points with 10:50 left in the fourth to force two overtimes.  It was Smart’s overall play that stood out even as his second-unit teammates contributed their fair share of comeback effort (the bench scored a team record 82 points).  So it was with that backdrop that Stevens did the, pardon the pun, smart thing and let the bench play.

Let’s be clear… Brad Stevens wasn’t trying to win that game at all costs.  He was trying to win that game with the guys who earned the right to finish what they started.  It was a move that had his new mentor Gregg Popovich’s fingerprints all over it.  I’ve seen Pop bench his starters with huge deficits before, and then ride the bench as far as it would get them.

Look at the bench numbers from the 4th quarter to the end of the game:

• Kelly Olynyk:  8 points, 7 rebounds (4 offensive), +23 in 19:49
• Evan Turner:  12 points (5-9 fg, 2-2 3pt including the game tying 3), 5 rebounds, 5 assists, +15 in 22:00
• Brandon Bass:  12 points (5-9 fg), 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block, +11 in 20:55
• Marcus Smart:  15 points (6-11 fg, 3-5 3pt), 4 rebouds, 1 assist, +13 in 21:47

Those are full game numbers for those guys, and it came down the stretch of what was going to be a blowout.

Smart led the way, but he wasn’t perfect.  A couple of quick-trigger 3’s early in the shot clock show he’s prone to fits of hero-ball.  He was going for the knock out punch and ended up losing the fight on the scorecard.  And there were a couple of plays where he REALLLLLLY tried to sell a foul, which may or may not get a warning from the league office.  But he’s a rookie, and some of that comes with the territory.

There’s no doubt, though, that Smart is earning the right to be one of the Celtics closers and he should be on the floor for his defense late in games when the Celtics are nursing those ever dwindling leads.  He’s got the energy, the fire, and the mindset to be on the floor without fear of the moment.

Or in other words, this kid’s for real.

Related links:  CSNNE: Smart has the game of his life  |  ESPN Boston:  Second unit was first rate  |  MassLive: Discussing Smart, Olynyk, and big moments from 2OT loss

Page 2:  Rondo was a leader from the bench

“Give Rondo as much credit as anybody else on our team,” said Stevens after the 133-132 loss. “Rondo’s the loudest guy on the bench. Rondo’s running out in timeouts. Rondo was active. I think Rondo was very comfortable in saying, ‘Let’s bring this home.’ I give him a lot of credit for being that kind of guy, because he doesn’t have to be.”

Rondo wound up scoreless with four assists and three turnovers and was a minus-15 in 21 minutes.

“I just do what I can do from the sidelines,” he said afterward. “I’m very competitive. I wanted to play. I wanted to compete and be on the floor, but the guys that were out there were playing great, and I didn’t want to mess up any momentum.

“There was no communication (with Stevens as the situation unfolded), but there was none needed. The guys did a great job making a run out there. Our bench did a great job, and they deserved to play.”

Herald:  Rondo leads from bench

Anyone looking for this to be an issue with Rondo can look elsewhere.  There wasn’t a single shot of him or any other starter on the bench looking anything but excited about this comeback.

It speaks volumes about not only Rondo and the rest of the guys who became spectators (Jared Sullinger didn’t get back in either, and Tyler Zeller and Avery Bradley only got a couple of late minutes after Olynyk fouled out in the second OT), but also the makeup of this team.

If you’re looking for evidence of team chemistry and a bond between basketball brothers, you saw it last night.  As starters became the second unit for a night, the also became the team’s biggest cheerleaders.  Every shot of these guys on the bench caught them smiling, cheering, standing or jumping, and being as into the comeback as any of us were sitting at home.  All that was missing was Rondo tweeting “OMFG HOW DID TURNER MAKE THAT??!?1!”

There was never any indication that these guys weren’t totally invested in this process, but last night left little doubt. Any friction people feared in July and August is nowhere to be found. Rondo and the coach, former starters now on the bench, guys who aren’t sure if they’re starting on certain nights… none of that is an issue right now.  If it was going to show up at all, last night would have at least given us a hint.  And all we saw was teammates celebrating teammates and everyone trying to get that win.

We’ve been saying it all along this season… win or lose, this team is fun to watch.

And Finally…

Grab a tissue, because John Wall got emotional after last night’s game, and for good reason.  You might too after seeing this…

Miyah Nelson was a six-year-old girl who became friends with John Wall, and who recently lost her battle with Burkitt Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer in the United States.  Wall dedicated last night’s win to her, and was so emotional after the game, that he broke down and couldn’t finish his post-game on-court interview.

He did manage to compose himself afterwards in the Wizards locker room.  And I’m glad he got to get a win for her family, and hopefully help them get a few small moments of solace in a horrible time.

Related links:  ESPN Boston: Emotional Wall dedicates win  |  Boston.com:  Wall breaks down after emotional win over Celtics  |  MassLive:  Wall collapses in tears after dedicating win

The rest of the links:

Herald:  Celtics hit Wall in 2 OT, lose  |  CSNNE:  Celtics lose heartbreaker in double OT |  ESPN Boston:  Boston can’t finish off rally  |  Boston.com:  The only thing you need to know about the loss to Wizards  |  WEEI:  5 things we learned in loss to Wizards  |  MassLive:  Turner describes apology to Korver: “He knew it wasn’t malicious” |  Wall’s late surge ends 2OT thriller  |  Sullinger on Nick Young shove: “I thought it was my nephew”