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.

“It’s tough,” Rondo said. “It’s frustrating. I work hard on it and I’ll continue to work and get better.”

Head coach Brad Stevens said Rondo did not waste any time before working on his craft.

“He was back in here last night shooting,” Stevens said before practice Tuesday. “He’s a guy that’s going to take that personally.”

The coach added: “I think just coming back in and getting shots, and being able to say you believe the next one’s going in, and thinking positively about it. Making sure that you take your time, you focus on all the little things that you can control within the techniques. And then shoot the ball with confidence. That’s something that’s easier said than done when you’re in the midst of shooting, when you’re on that line by yourself.”

MassLive: Rondo hits practice facility after historically bad night at the line

I was asked last night on Twitter what kind of example it sets when your star point guard shoots 2-for-10 from the line in a game.

The answer is that it’s not the adversity which one faces that sets the example, it’s that person’s reaction to it that does.  If you’re looking for what kind of example Rondo set with is 2-for-10 shooting, look at him going to the gym after a game and working on his shot.

Like I said yesterday, Rondo’s been through rough stretches before, and he’s pulled out of them before, and he’s always settled somewhere around 60%.  The thing to remember is that he’s only taken 20 free throws so far, and he’s chances are that he’ll take about 180 more the rest of the season.

Don’t put too much emphasis on that right now, because it’s not at the top of the Celtics list of problems.  It’s worth keeping an eye on, but the Celtics have bigger issues that, if fixed, would lead to wins… and would have people much less focused on negative things like this.

Related links:  Boston.com:  Rondo’s the worst FT shooter in the NBA after 9 games  |  NESN:  Rondo worked on FT’s at practice facility after loss

Page 2:  Brad Stevens has to listen to his own advice

“We talked about not overreacting in November a long time ago,” Stevens said. “And I find myself, every morning, overreacting.”

After six losses in the past eight games, it’s hard not to. The Celtics’ last two games came down to the last possession, and shoddy execution cost them.

[…]

“One of the things I’m trying to keep in mind is that we played a lot of good basketball against a lot of good teams,” Stevens said.

Still, the tough losses make it hard to keep any perspective about the competition they’ve faced.

Globe: Brad Stevens tries to follow his own advice to players — don’t overreact

It’s hard to be a glass-half-full kind of guy when you’re watching your team shart their way through crunch time.  But it’s also hard to remember that this team was never really very good, and it’s pretty amazing that there’s a crunch time at all against teams like Dallas, Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, and Phoenix.

The Celtics have been blown out twice:  In Houston, which was a blowout from the start, and at home against OKC, which was an epic second half collapse in which the Celtics only trailed by 4 going into the 4th quarter.   They lost their last two games by a combined 5 points, and their total point differential is just -2 points  (107.4 ppg scored, 109.4 ppg allowed).

They’ve played teams with a combined record of 55-41, and 6 of the 9 teams they’ve faced have winning records… including 4 of the top 8 teams in the league.

The Celtics are 3-6, and you can argue they were a healthy Marcus Smart (who could have at least slowed down Morrow or Dragic, right?) away from 5-4.

If we’re being honest, most of us would have jumped at 3 wins in 9 games against the teams laid out at the top of the schedule.  But because the Celtics have lost the way they’ve lost, there’s a sour taste in our mouths.

It’s like me telling you “I’ll give you 20 grand right now for the month of December… that’s your income,” you happily accepting, and then being upset because that involved you owning 100 thousand in stocks and losing $80,000 in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.  You can choose to focus on the dumb decisions you made in the stock market that cost you that money, or you can focus on the fact that you have $20,000 in your pocket and move on.

The Celtics have to focus on what they have in their pockets.  They’ve got three wins against good teams.  They’ve also learned some valuable lessons that can maybe prevent those losses down the road.  Teams have to learn how to win.  Sometimes that involves these really shitty losses to make guys realize “oh, I can’t do that next time… good to know.”

Related links:  ESPN Boston: Even Stevens, Rondo’s postgame freethrow work, and Smart gets up shots  |  MassLive: Stevens trying to not overreact about defense

And Finally….

Mark Cuban speaks for all of us

As far as the Lakers go, I think there are going to be a lot of teams that are saying, “I’ve got a ton of cap room,” and signing three big free agents to come play for them. Los Angeles has always been considered a destination city, so maybe they feel that’s a valid strategy. You know me, Fred. Personally, I just hope they suck forever.

The rest of the links

I joined Jacob Noble on his “NBA unplugged” for 30 minutes to talk about the C’s, their massive defensive struggles, and what the “culture of winning” really means.  Here it is

Herald: Playing for the Sixers?  No tanks  |  Globe: Report: Police reopen child abuse case against Dwight Howard  |  CSNNE:  Expect Olynyk to remain starting Center  |  Power Rankings: Bear necessities  |  DLeague not such a bad thing after all for Young  |  ESPN Boston:  Defense not quite as advertised |  WEEI:  Tyler Zeller rarely misses a shot these days  |  Rondo trade barometer v2.0  |  Jeff Green has been remarkably consistent this season  |  MassLive:  Zeller has the NBA’s most boringly effective shot chart