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.

“At certain points of the game it did,” Isaiah Thomas said. “When they went on their small runs we were still complaining at the refs and wanting the calls while they were getting out in transition and getting easy baskets. We just have to learn from it. It’s definitely something we can control and we gotta know those type of things can cost us games.”

[…] “We feel like we deserve the calls that some of the other teams get,” Sullinger said. “But we’re just going to move forward and understand that we gotta play. We gotta play regardless of how the officiating is going. We gotta play.”

CSNNE: Celtics let referees get the best of them vs. Cavs

Chuck’s recap last night captured the raw emotions of a lot of Celtics fans after that loss to the Cavaliers. It’s really frustrating to watch stretches of awful calls go against your team.

But it’s even more frustrating watching your team spend time complaining about the calls while the other team barrels its way up the court on the fast break.

Time and time again, Brad Stevens has stressed poise in these situations. As difficult as it may be, it’s a clear problem that needs to be addressed. And I haven’t seen a single player bitch his way to respect from the officials. So when it comes to a guy like Marcus Smart, he’s going to have to rein it in or he’ll be in big trouble over his career.

“He does (need to learn how to deal with his emotions) but it happens to all of us,” Thomas added. “We can’t just pin that on him. He has to do a better job in those situations and he knows that. When it happened he didn’t really apologize but he was like, ‘My bad, man.’ Just heat of the battle, and we know that. We’ve just got to do a better job as a team when those types of things happen, calming each and everybody down and coming together and not going separate ways.”

Smart is a physical player who is going to need those officials to be on his side eventually. He’s going to eventually need those guy to view what he’s doing as good defense rather than being overly aggressive and fouling. We all know guys are often officiated based on their reputations, and if Marcus isn’t careful, his reputation will get him more fouls and techs moving forward.

It’s not easy to keep emotions in check when you’re an emotional player. And I’m sure Brad Stevens doesn’t want Smart to change his style of play. But within that realm of using emotion to your advantage, there has to be an internal setting where a player realizes he’s at or near the line with the officials. 

“Just knowing when you can talk to the ref and not,” Isaiah Thomas said of what Smart has to learn. “I think a couple plays before that the ref had said, ‘Next thing somebody says, you’re getting a technical.’ And he was just frustrated with a call he thought should have been called and it wasn’t and he was that next guy.”

Instead of complaining, swearing, or gesturing… guys need to get their asses back on D and finish the play. Then when there’s a stoppage, they can pull a guy aside and say “this is what happened to me on that play, can you watch for that” or “what did I do… what did you see?” Officials respond better to that kind of thing.

It’s bad enough that some games are poorly officiated. But the last thing you want as a player to create an atmosphere where a guy like Scott Foster walks into the gym and says “ugh, I f’ing hate officiating Marcus Smart’s games.” Where does that get you in the long run? Where does crying to an official while your teammates are trying to stop a fast break get you?

Play the game. Let Stevens ride the officials from the sideline. Show some maturity and mental toughness to get past the bullshit.

Related links: Globe: After too much griping, C’s lose grip  |  CSNNE: Heinsohn: ref’s calls drained Celtics’ spirits

Page 2: The schedule’s about to get really tough

After losing to the Cavaliers, 120-103, Saturday night, the Celtics will play the Grizzlies, Rockets, Pacers, Thunder, and Raptors. Coach Brad Stevens would prefer that his team not approach it as a grueling segment of the season, though.

“You just have to keep focusing on the next task at hand and grind it out, and keep kind of looking at what you can do on this possession and staying in this moment,” Stevens said. “Because I think if we look at it as a six-game grouping, then I think that we’ll miss the point of today. And I think staying in the moment is important.”

Globe: Stevens wants Celtics to stay in the moment

The Celtics have a magnificent 38-26 record. they’re 12 games above .500 and still looking good to hold onto a 3rd or 4th seed heading into the playoffs.

This is certainly great progress from last year, and a sign that this team is headed for some potentially great things in the years to come.

But…

These guys are 14-17 against teams .500 or better. Last night was the first of a 6-game stretch against potential playoff teams, 5 of which have winning records. This will be a true test of where this team is in its development, and what they might expect when they get into the postseason.

Of course Sensei Stevens doesn’t want the guys looking at things the way I just did. They need to focus on each swing of the ax rather than how a big a tree they’re trying to chop down.

It would  be nice to have Kelly Olynyk back (he’ll be reevaluated tomorrow) so we can see full strength Celtics at work, but this will still be a big measure of where this team is, and how far they need to go.

And Finally…

The two broadcast teams saw Avery Bradley’s crossover on LeBron differently…

Were the Cavs announcers even watching? (via Ball is Life)

The rest of the links:

Globe: Sunday NBA notes: Wade not fading into sunset just yet  |  CSNNE: Stevens: have to play better all four quarters  |  Mannix: Cavs took advantage of C’s turnovers  | ESPN Boston: Celtics need “attack mode” Isaiah Thomas to see Cavs again  |  MassLive: Ty Lue doesn’t know about rivalries, sees Celtics as potential playoff opponent  |  Herald: Durant tops list for free agent fortuity  |  Celtics streak unravels