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.

For each year the last couple of years, I’ve thought long and hard about walking away from the game. The process will continue this summer as I think long and hard, as I get older in age, talk to my family, see how my body feels. I don’t want to make an emotional decision right now, so I’ll sit down with my family and think about it. It’s just gotta hit you one day. You just never know. You don’t know. Right now, it’s 50/50. I’ll see how I feel when I wake up, if I feel like getting ready for next season. If I don’t feel that feeling, that fire’s not there, it’s going to be tough,

Pro Basketball Talk: Pierce “50/50” about playing next season

We’re taking a short break from the impending Celtics offseason to check in on our former captain, Paul Pierce.

We’ve had to endure Pierce’s slow progression away from Boston for years. From the trade to Brooklyn, to Washington, to the Clippers, we’ve had to watch our guy parade around the league in all these different uniforms.

We all understood…

The trade to Brooklyn was a masterstroke by Danny Ainge. It had to be done. This Celtics team is set up as well as can be for the future because of it. From there, Pierce started chasing situations where he’d have a shot at winning one more ring.

But… none of that worked out.

However….

Maybe… just… maybe…

IF…

IF Danny Ainge can finally pay off on the “fireworks” promise… if he can bring in some superstars and turn this team into a contender again…

Then maybe we can have it all… maybe we can have the star-studded team AND bring Paul Pierce back through a trade with the Clippers for some second round pick (OR… have Pierce be part of a Blake Griffin deal.. just sayin’).

Fantasy? Yep. I’m not sure what Pierce even has left in the tank. He didn’t do much for the Clippers, and I doubt he’s going to suddenly find a fountain of youth. He’ll be 39 next season and chances are he’d have a limited role no matter what happens this summer in Boston.

I’ve never really advocated for Pierce’s return like this before now. I’ve thought he should have his time to chase one more ring and maybe win it at home. A championship for him in LA would have a special feeling, but let’s face it, that’s not happening in the next few seasons.

So… it’s time. It’s time for Pierce to come home. Pull that uniform you were born to wear over your head one more time and come back to Boston, Paul. One last ride into the sunset.

Related links: CSNNE: Report: Pierce “50/50″ about retirement after Clippers exit”

Page 2: Where the Celtics have a lot of work to do

What Thomas learned this year during the postseason is invaluable. Many players talk about how much they would flourish on the biggest stage, how they wish they played for a team good enough to place them in the position to annually perform under playoff pressure.

Yet thriving under those circumstances is a different challenge. Thomas understands he has to improve his playmaking.

[…] Crowder needs to improve his perimeter shooting, as the Hawks invited him to shoot from the 3-point arc, where he made just 24.4 percent of his attempts in the series.

[…] Stevens also has to improve. Is he a championship-caliber coach? He appears headed in that direction, but some of the lineups he used during the Atlanta series were curious.

Globe: The Celtics are no longer upstarts — but they have a lot of work to do

Gary Washburn makes some fair points about the Celtics’ needs for personal improvement, but there are also some caveats that come with each of his points.

Thomas’ playmaking was better than it’s ever been this season. His assist rate dropped significantly in the playoffs, but how much of that was his fault? He averaged 5 assists per game against the Hawks, but he was 7th in the league with 12.7 POTENTIAL assists. That’s more than Chris Paul, Kemba Walker, and Kyrie Irving. If the Celtics had made some of their shots, Thomas’ playmaking might have actually been a big storyline for this series.

Speaking of which… yes, Jae Crowder can benefit from raising his 3-point and overall field goal percentage, but he was playing on a leg that wasn’t 100%. A healthy Crowder (and Bradley) changes that series a lot. Still, there’s nothing wrong with trying to become an above-average 3 point shooter.

And as for Brad Stevens… yes, he threw some curious lineups out there, but I’m not sure what choice he had. Kelly Olynyk has nothing to give this series. Jonas Jerebko became a go-to guy and, with no one hitting shots, Stevens turned to two rookies and hoped RJ Hunter or Terry Rozier could capture some magic for a stretch. They didn’t.

But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot to learn. I’m sure Stevens is already bleary-eyed from watching the bad stretches of games 5 and 6 so he could figure out what he might have done differently. In fact, the three guys mentioned here are of no real concern to me because they’re the three most motivated people on this team.

Anger is going to smolder within Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder throughout the summer. And there’s no one more focused on the process of improving than Brad Stevens. These guys will all work on the things they learned and we’ll notice it next season for sure.

Related links: Herald: Thomas all in to help Celtics improve

Check out Episode 35: The season wrap-up podcast

And Finally…

…. holy shit did OKC get SMOKED last night. 

Maybe the San Antonio Spurs’ 124-92 rout did more than put the Thunder in a bad mood and a 1-0 hole in the Western Conference semifinals. Maybe it made all of us, including Durant, wonder just how vast is the gulf between Spurs and the Thunder. How far down is the Thunder in the NBA’s line of contenders? How will a game like this affect not just the Thunder’s chances of an upset in the series, but Durant’s summertime decision on re-signing with Oklahoma City?

yes…. YESSSS… that’s good San Antonio… VERRRRYYYYY gooood.

If the Spurs smack it up, flip it, and rub it down against OKC and sweep them out of the playoffs, then I wonder if Kevin Durant just chucks up the deuces and bounces this summer instead of next.

Consider what he said after the game about Gregg Popovich… 

“Having a coach, a really good coach is probably the most important thing in this league. Because you can have all the great players you want, but if you have someone to orchestrate it, that’s what they have. They’ve got great players, but they also have a great coach to put them in positions that utilizes all their strengths as individuals and make it come together as a team.”

That’s true, Kevin. Having a great coach is really super important. It’s too bad the Spurs really don’t have the space for you, Kevin. But… let’s just ask Pop who HE thinks is a great coach… this way you can have some guidance for the summer….

“I really respect what he does. I’ll still watch his Butler tape, trying to learn some stuff he did there, to be honest with you,” Popovich said of Stevens after Sunday’s game. “I really respect the hell out of him. He’s a really fine young coach, great demeanor. His team executes really well, and they’re just going to keep getting better. So I enjoy him.”

Huh. Whaddya know? Well, that must be a fluke… right?

Pop talking about Brad Stevens is always good pic.twitter.com/uPtiTh1iOa

— James Herbert (@outsidethenba) February 12, 2016

Nope. Not a fluke. Brad and Gregg <3 each other. And if you can’t play for Pop, Kevin, then you might as well play for a guy he respects the hell out of, right?

See you here in July.

The rest of the links:

CSNNE: Sherrod Blakely’s Celtics report card  |  How does Isaiah Thomas improve? Eating right is one step  |  ESPN Boston: Celtics coach wants Evan Turner back  |  Herald: Olynyk mulls shoulder surgery  |  Thomas knows “anybody can be gone”  |  Projo: Despite playoff loss, future is bright for Celtics