The Morning Dump... where Rondo takes his shot at Brad Miller

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.

“The hit was softer than I expected,’’ Rondo said. “I knew I was going to get hit, going back to last year. It wasn’t as hard as it seemed. I think he tried to go for my face but he hit me in my nose.

“But I’ve been hit harder. You just know, you’ve got a feeling. It didn’t hurt, I was just focusing on trying to make a free throw, honestly. I wasn’t mad or anything, that’s part of the game. I’ve been hit way harder."

Globe - Rondo Undaunted by Miller

Is that first sentence a jab at Miller? Maybe. I also think Rondo is telling the truth, because he has been hit harder. Doc Rivers was thankful for the hard foul, sort of:

Said Rivers: “I don’t think that was anything from last year. I just thought it was one of those freaky plays. In a crazy way, I actually turned to (assistant coach Tom Thibodeau) and said, ‘Now we can play.’ Because I thought we were a little flat. When he did that, it kind of jolted us."

Herald - Rondo Gets Foes Message

For what it's worth, both Doc and Paul Pierce said they do not think Miller is a dirty player. While Tommy Heinsohn may have a different opinion, they might be right. He may take some hard fouls, but Miller is more annoying than dirty.

On page 2, the Celtics suddenly have the best record in the NBA.

The Utah Jazz, the same team that scored only six points in the fourth quarter Wednesday against the Lakers, welcomed them to their first real run of road games with a 102-94 victory Saturday at Energy Solutions Arena.

The flight plan showed the Lakers to be 590 miles from home, but they looked to be 10 times that far.

Kobe Bryant had an upset stomach, needed to take intravenous fluids before the game and again at halftime, and shot poorly, making it hard to tell if he was bothered more by fatigue or the broken right index finger.

LA Times - Lakers Look Homesick in Utah

I realize its meaningless, but it does feel good to see the Lakers lose to the Jazz in Utah. As LA piled up win after win on their home court, you read little about their cushy schedule. But once that 11 game winning streak ended, the schedule talk surfaced in paragraph two. And the NBA home pages on ESPN and Yahoo! Sports look strange minus the 'Lakers are unstoppable' columns.

The rest of the links:

Globe - Pierce Deserves Extension | Perfect 10 | Herald - Ray Allen Copes with Time Away | Celtics Charge Past Bulls | ESPN - Bench Solid for Celtics | Chicago Tribune  - Bulls Fade in Loss | Yahoo! - Behind the Box Score - C's Outclassed Bulls | WEEI - No Bull on Road for Celtics