Your Morning Dump... Where TA lives

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.

"Well, I just look at it like we've got a quiet assassin and whenever you all want to unleash him, he's going to be ready," Allen said after pouncing off the pine to score 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and play 20 high-energy minutes in a 113-99 triumph over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

"Basically, I've been listening to the coaches," said Allen. "'Stay ready, stay ready, stay ready.' That's what I've been doing, conditioning my body, working on my game with the coaches and strength coach. Today was a day my number got called and I took advantage."

ESPN Boston - Allen ready when opportunity knocked

Vintage TA. Just when you count him out, he'll stun you with a vicious one-handed jam or suffocating defense. But last night's performance goes against TA tradition. He generally needs time to find a groove when returning from an injury or Doc's doghouse.

How about KG's performance? 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. Was last night another Hot Tub Time Machine moment? As my father-in-law kept repeating during the game, Garnett looked active. He's come a long way in the past few months.

On Page 2, the little known rule that puts the Celtics ahead of the Hawks.

The Celtics are tied with the Hawks for third place in the East, but technically Boston is up a game, even though Atlanta swept the season series.

As a division leader, the Celtics hold the first tiebreaker over Atlanta, which defeated Orlando, 86-84, last night. Meaning, the Hawks have to be a game better than the Celtics at season’s end to finish third.

It’s a system that even Celtics coach Doc Rivers wasn’t aware of until a few days ago.

“I didn’t even pay attention to it,’’ he said. “I actually did think if we tied, Atlanta would get it. I think Danny [Ainge] called me and he said, ‘Did you know?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘I didn’t either.’ No one knew.’’

Globe - Plenty riding on Celtics play

3 is key. The Celtics would avoid the Bucks in the 1st round and the Cavaliers in the 2nd round. While the players will never say publicly they'd rather play one team over another, it's all about carving out the easiest road possible.

The rest of the links:

Herald - Paul Pierce keys big Celtic stand | Time for Green to make stand | Globe - Denver boot | Dantley gets more knocks than opportunity | ESPN Boston - Mr. Triple Double | WEEI - Rondo says we're starting to put it together | Pierce/KG press conference | CSNNE - Cs take bit out of Nuggets | Celtics Blog - Cs strike gold |