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.

Boston’s next three games are against the Lakers and Nets, two teams with a combined 13 wins. Add in a visit from a Pistons team that Boston beat on the road this past Saturday, the BPI projects Boston to win all four games.

Here’s the more intriguing part: BPI forecasts Boston to win 11 of its next 12 games, the only projected loss being in Chicago on Jan. 7. What’s more, BPI favors Boston to win 19 out of its next 21 games leading up to a Feb. 5 game in Cleveland (the only other projected loss in that span is a visit to Toronto on Jan. 20).

Zoom way out, and BPI gives Boston the edge in 28 of its next 32 games, a staggering number when you consider the Cavaliers are projected to lose seven games in that span.

No one is expecting the Celtics to win 87.5 percent of their next 32 games, but it speaks to the schedule that looms that Boston is favored most nights. Already starting a slow climb in the tight Eastern Conference with this current four-game winning streak, Boston has a real opportunity to position itself well for any late-season push for a prime playoff spot.

ESPN Boston – Jae Crowder says Boston Celtics are getting swagger back

Think of this Celtics season like getting on a treadmill (after this last week of eating, many of us probably could take the metaphor to heart). The incline was ramped way up right from the start with a brutal schedule of games in the opening month. December’s been one of those wonky hill workouts: where the resistance goes up and down with seemingly no end in sight– a home game against Minnesota here, a road game in San Antonio there. It’s almost January now and looking ahead at the schedule provides the same relief as checking the screen on a treadmill and seeing nothing but a single, flat line of resistance. For the Celtics, there’s a chance to confirm what all of the data’s been saying since the first week of the season: this is a top team in a very competitive Eastern Conference.

Sure, there’s a trip to Chicago at the start of the New Year and Indiana -they were unsolvable for the Cs twice in November- comes to town a week later, but the slate is devoid of marquee clubs for much of the month of January.

Since the off-season, experts and fans alike claimed that the true imprint Brad Stevens has had on this impressionable, young roster is that they don’t lose many games to equal or lesser competition. A schedule like the one coming in January, a flat-line on the treadmill, used to cause angst in the latter days of the Doc Rivers era. Those Cs would take a few of those games off, saving the real effort for the stiffer competition.

Currently on a four-game winning streak and with the hapless Lakers and the sad sack that is the Brooklyn Nets coming to town this week, we’ll get a true indication of just how much of an opportunity the Cs will seize now that terrain has flattened out.

*Last thing, regarding the headline of this ESPN Boston piece – If one were to collect Jae Crowder’s post-game quotes after a majority of games, they’d read like a fan’s account on a team message board. One week ago the Cs had no passion, according to Crowder. One week later, and that passion is back. Don’t get me wrong, I love Crowder’s game, his hunger and the impression he seemingly has on his teammates, but if you want to take a temperature check on the state of the Cs at any point during the year, just read Crowder’s post-game comments.

On page 2, just in case you’re still salty at me for poking fun at Jae

“Jae’s playing at a high level right now on both ends,” said Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. “But we need him to defend the way he is. The thing about Jae that I think Jae has really improved on throughout the years: being in the right place at the right time from a position standpoint because he’s so … he’s a good physical defender when he’s there. And with the rare exception of a few plays, he was really, really good tonight.”

When told about Stevens’ comments, Crowder attributes his improved play defensively to spending more time studying his opponents.

“I still have the heart and passion on the defensive end. I just watch more film on my opponent and try to study as much as possible,” he said.

And then there’s his pride, which shines brightly most nights on the defensive end of the floor.

“I feel like (I’m) guarding a great player each and every night, so I don’t want to get caught lacking at all,” Crowder said. “So I just try to watch film and try to prepare myself.”

CSNNE – Stevens: Crowder ‘playing at a high level’ 

In Chris Forsberg’s roundup of blogger predictions in his summer forecast, he asked who would underachieve on the Cs this year, to which I, and I alone answered: Jae Crowder.

My thinking was that as a newly minted fan-favorite and with a 5-year contract signed, fans might expect too much from Crowder, and Jae himself might ease back on his raw intensity with a little more job security.

Wrong and wrong.

Outside of maybe Kelly Olynyk, is there a player on this team whose improvement is more clearly noticeable game by game?

Crowder could be a D and Three guy, if only he could hit more than just a handful of his three-point attempts. Now? Crowder’s shooting continues to get better on a seemingly nightly basis.

Crowder’s unbridled energy on both ends is great, but maybe he’s doing too much? Crowder’s game feels far more controlled on both ends of the floor, without sacrificing any of what’s endeared him to fans in his now nearly full season here.

Double figure scoring is becoming habitual for Crowder, who doesn’t shy away from a good look and is knocking those looks down with regularity. Concurrently, with job security in hand, he’s shown more of a hunger to improve on the defensive end, as the film study and his on-court performance has shown.

I’m happy to eat my words on my prediction from the summer and at this point, that 5-year $35 million contract is looking like an absolute steal.

Related links: Mass Live – Jae Crowder leaning on film study to defend stars like Carmelo Anthony

And finally, welcome back, Marcus Smart

It was one small step for a man.

We’re talking six points, three rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes.

For Marcus Smart, however, it was a giant leap. For the Celtics, too.

Smart has spent the 2015-16 season largely grounded. There were the three games he missed in early November with a sprained left big toe. There was the bruised left knee that cost him the 18 games prior to last night’s 100-91 win over New York.

But if you’re looking for a clue as to how important Smart is to the production, know that even on this comeback evening when his minutes were going to be limited, Brad Stevens pulled him a bit early because he wanted to have him at his disposal later on. The coach wasn’t going to hesitate to rely on someone who hadn’t been in a game since Nov. 20 when this affair was on the line.

“I wanted to keep him for the end of the game in case we needed him for defensive possessions,” Stevens said.

Boston Herald – Marcus Smart, Celtics take big step

The Celtics got injury prone snake-bit guard Marcus Smart back last night and while the rust was there (2-6 shooting) on the offensive end, there was no questioning the defense.

The upcoming slate of games is a nice runway for Stevens to slowly increase Smart’s minutes as he gets his legs and his comfort back on the court. Minutes-wise, Stevens played 11 guys in a game that featured no garbage time minutes. The most likely victim of Smart’s return is RJ Hunter, who logged only 7 minutes after four straight games of playing 10+ minutes.

Most importantly, though, is that Smart is back after a longer-than-expected hiatus, which didn’t have a negative impact on the team. His return and his development as a player should only benefit the team going forward.

Related links: CSNNE – Smart: ‘Good job of warming up the body’ vs. Knicks