The Morning Dump... Where sometimes you're good and lucky

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

“We didn’t play our best obviously. Our defense was not very good. We just kind of hung in there. We got some good execution down the stretch and then the Ray shot was just Ray - luck and a good shot for him. We’ll take it. We’ll just take the win,” said Doc Rivers.

“That’s the way we drew it up,” Pierce said through intermittent laughter. “I come off the pick-and-roll with Kevin. Coach said, ‘When you look back, expect Rudy Gay to tip the ball up. Ray, you run around, grab it, come off another Kevin screen and knock down the 3.’

“I mean, hey, textbook basketball. There’s no more you can say. Great execution.”

Herald - Allen's Late 3 Tunes Out Memphis

Luck put the ball in Ray Allen's hands. His skill and tireless work ethic put the ball in the hoop.

“We’re just passing to the open guy, we’re not doing anything special,’’ Rivers said. “We’re setting picks, finally. We’re doing a great job of that over the last 10-15 games. And that was something I thought -- “We were all slipping our picks trying to get to the spot, instead of doing their job first and setting the picks. And our bigs and everybody setting the picks are finding out they’re the guy open - because if you set a good pick the defense has to help.’’

Globe - They Pick and Choose

Amazing how something so simple can have a dramatic affect on the offense. Think "pick" first and then worry about getting to your spot. It's selfless basketball.

On page 2, you mean Doc Rivers still hasn't learned that Tony Allen can't play the point?

It appears as if the size of Tony Allen’s role with the Celtics is going to come down to his ability to handle the ball and be a de facto point guard in Marquis Daniels’ absence.

His troubles in that regard lately have the Celts changing plans.

“That’s a big issue,” Rivers said of Allen, who had four points in 15 minutes last night. “Defensively Tony’s fine. He’s got to stop gambling, but he’s fine on defense. The thing is he has to take care of the ball. If he can’t take of the ball, he can’t play.”

Herald - Exit Claws for Lester Hudson

I think most of us would prefer Doc gamble on Lester Hudson playing the point instead of Tony Allen. But with Hudson headed to the D-League, it appears the TA experiment at PG isn't over, unfortunately.

The rest of the links:

Globe - Experience Has the Final Say | Celtics Stay Hot | ESPN Boston - All Three Come Up Big | Next Opponent: Brand Names | Celtics Blog - Comfort in Familiarity | WEEI - Allen Goes Old School in Win |