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.

Teams will call about Love, and the Cavaliers will listen, because that’s what teams do. But in the afterglow of an unprecedented Finals comeback, they justifiably exuded hope that this sometimes awkward nucleus could get even better — and more importantly, that LeBron might share in that hope.

“This team did not fit particularly well for playing Golden State, and that’s my fault,” Griffin said. “But against the East, we were historically good. Now that we’ve experienced this, I’m very confident this group has its best basketball in front of it. They know what they have now.”

Most of all, they have LeBron. He is the Eastern Conference power structure at this point.

ESPN – Cavs slog through  doubt and rise to the title

While the Cavs and Warriors were tied in total points through six games of the 2016 NBA Finals, the series was missing and fans were yearning for an elusive close game. The two teams delivered with one of the more anxiety-ridden, plot-twisting, edge-of-your-seat basketball games in recent memory. When the dust settled (dust… definitely not confetti) at Oracle Arena, Lebron James, Kyrie Irving and the Cavs quenched the thirst that accompanies a 52-year championship drought in the city of Cleveland. Whatever you believe about Lebron James, this was a legacy-sealing, championship run.

So, what does it mean for the Celtics? As David Griffin hints and Zach Lowe echoes above, the Eastern Conference is the Cleveland Cavaliers and everybody else. Really, it’s Lebron James and everybody else and it has been since 2011. Vegas currently has the Cavs at 5-2 to win the championship again next year as the only Eastern Conference team with single digit odds of doing so.

The next best odds in the east? Your Boston Celtics.

One thing is for certain, these odds are always, and will especially this summer be fluid. The Cs 20-1 odds will improve if Danny Ainge lands a superstar this off-season and will fall if he does not while other eastern teams improve. The Celtics, though like everyone else in the east, are chasing Cleveland, and will be chasing the Cavs so long as Lebron James is playing basketball at a high level.

This Cavs team isn’t unbeatable, though, as the Warriors proved by coming within one game (and possibly one Draymond Green baby-maker shot) of vanquishing Lebron in five paltry games. Those Vegas odds show five Western Conference squads with higher odds than the Celtics, which is just another way of demonstrating what is glaringly obvious in the NBA — the upper-class of the West is far and away stronger than the upper class in the East. If one Eastern Conference team can do enough to join Cleveland, that team gets closer to the NBA Finals than three of those Western Conference behemoths. Danny Ainge has plenty of arguments he can attempt to make to persuade an elite player to join the Cs in free agency, but the chance to improve those already decent championship odds by coming to the Eastern Conference has to be near the top of his arsenal.

On page 2, how do you feel about Okafor without giving up number three?

Sixers send:Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, Carl Landry and picks Nos. 24 and No. 26
Celtics send: Avery Bradley, Terry Rozier, R.J. Hunter and picks Nos. 16 and No. 23

[…]

Why the Celtics do it: The Celtics get a big man they’ve liked a lot in Okafor without having to give up the No. 3 pick or core young players Marcus Smartand Kelly Olynyk. Okafor immediately helps them in the middle, and the Celtics can replace Bradley with the No. 3 pick — whether that turns out to be Kris Dunn or Jamal Murray.

ESPN – NBA draft trades we’d love to see

If Chad Ford were running the Celtics, either D’Angelo Russell or Jahlil Okafor would be in green by now and RJ Hunter would be out of here on two separate occasions.

With the third pick not exactly blowing other teams away, and with the Cs having had ample time to hone in on and fall for one or two of the prospect group that follows Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram, it’s the Celtics that might have to be blown away in order to move on from the three spot.

Okafor was originally mentioned in trade rumors to Boston involving a straight up swap with the Celtics’ number three pick. Those rumors have cooled significantly as the flaws in Okafor’s game, plus his immaturity have prevailed over his scoring and upside. In this scenario, the Cs can keep the pick and still get a low-post scoring threat. A deal involving either Bradley or Smart (and in this case, Rozier as well) makes sense only if the apple of Danny Ainge’s eye is Kris Dunn. Dunn has the potential to, not so far down the line, do similar things as Bradley and/or Smart. If Ainge is smitten, might as well dislodge the clogged drain of guards in the Cs back-court, make a move for a scoring big, and draft a guard in the mold of either of the guys you ship out to get him.

These hypothetical trades never come to fruition, but count me among those who likes this sort of move if, in fact, Ainge wants to draft Kris Dunn.

And finally, the man knows only how to tell The Truth

Wow But I told u guys congrats to Cavs one of the best series ever Cavs 1st team Nba history down 3-1 to win 1-32

— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) June 20, 2016

You want to make this NBA Finals about Lebron winning one for Cleveland, or the Warriors inability to clinch “Greatest Team Ever” status? That’s all well and good, but this NBA Finals was all about Paul Pierce’s breakout performance as an analyst!

Jokes aside, Pierce did an excellent job and fit in naturally with ESPN’s pre/post-game crew. When Pierce hangs them up, he should have a network job waiting for him if he wants it.

The rest of the links:

CSNNE – James and Cavaliers win thrilling NBA Finals

Herald – Celtics have mixed history when choosing early  | Countdown to the draft: Point Guards