AMA with Adam Himmelsbach TOMORROW 11AM EST

For the most part, I feel like what you see is what you get. Tatum and Jaylen are both a little reserved on camera and off. Smart can be fiery or funny in both settings. Horford is the team dad in both settings. If I had to pick one player, it’d probably be Payton Pritchard. His interviews are almost impressively bland, but he likes to joke around with his teammates when they’re sitting around the locker room before games. At least when Blake Griffin isn't sending him to the cooler to grab him a water.

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Pro sports very much follow a don’t-mess-with-what’s-working formula, so it’s no surprise that the Celtics will stick with Robert Williams over Derrick White for now. The thing about this is it’s not some new gimmick that turned into lightning in a bottle. This was the starting lineup that ran circles around the rest of the NBA last year. Williams certainly won’t bust Miami’s zone from the perimeter, but he’s the perfect option to slide along the baseline and find open lobs. Having said that, I’d expect that White will average more than the 15 minutes per game he played coming off the bench in Games 6 and 7 against Philly.

I believe Deuce has already agreed in principle to a lifetime contract with the hearts of all Celtics fans.

A lot will depend on how the series unfolds, but I’d be stunned if Mazzulla sticks with the seven-man rotation right off the bat. These teams haven’t played since January, meaning Robert Williams appeared in just one of the four games, so it’s hard to glean too much from past matchups. But Grant Williams is the most obvious choice to at least step in as the eighth man. He had some success guarding his former high school rival in the conference finals last year and is a big body to throw at Jimmy Butler on switches. Williams was 3 for 3 from the 3-point line in Boston’s last game against the Heat. Sam Hauser could also get a look, both to help Boston keep up with Miami’s 3-point shooters, and because there are more places to hide him on defense.

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I started covering the Celtics in January 2015, so I missed the entire Big Three era. Although this current Celtics core has had the most success, the electricity of the brief Isaiah Thomas era was unmatched. His 53-point game in an overtime playoff win over the Wizards, on the same day he underwent oral surgery after having his teeth knocked out, three weeks after his sister Chyna was killed in a car crash, and on his sister’s birthday, remains at the top for me. Tatum’s performance was spectacular, but the fact that it came in a blowout made it just slightly less enthralling. [Of course, his excellent play was a big part of why it was a blowout.]

It’s a fair question. I think it’s generally agreed around the league that when TD Garden is truly shaking, it’s the most intense road environment for an opposing team. And the Celtics certainly feel that and love that. For the most part, I don’t think the boos really bother them. Of course, this team is very good, so there aren't many boos. If the team was awful, the boos would probably be more frequent and more annoying.

But it’s fair to say that Jaylen Brown’s relationship with the fan base has been slightly uneasy at times. Of course, he's one player fans hope feels welcomed, because he’ll soon have a decision to make about a likely maximum-salary contract extension. (Although, honestly, if I was offered a $290 million contract, fans could throw pizzas at me while I played if they wanted.) Brown’s relationship with the fans seems to be in a good place right now, though, especially after they responded to his request for more support heading into Game 7 against the 76ers.

I love this question, haha. So, in the pre-COVID days almost everything was a scrum in which someone else's armpit invariably ended up in your face. Disgusting. I'm a big fan of personal space, and this part of the experience is miserable for me.

But now about half of the interviews take place in more formal press conference settings. We sit in chairs like human beings. We use a microphone, so no one has to scream-ask their question to beat someone else's scream-ask. It's more civil. One issue with the microphone situation is when you have the mic, you have the floor, and sometimes people take advantage of this and hold court for too long.

We still do the scrums too, though, and there are sometimes battles for airspace. The unwritten rule is if two people shout out a question at once, everyone else should step aside for the loser of that battle on the next question. It doesn't always happen.

Haha, I am aware! I know you guys love outrageous rumors, but I take pride in reporting the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts. But it seems that things have worked out OK for the Celtics anyway.

Him and Jay King are my favs on the beat, I like Chris a lot too though

It looks like it could be a fun series. Nikola Jokic is such a joy to watch, and it's nice to see Anthony Davis healthy and thriving again.

I think the Celtics would have an edge against either opponent. As good as the Lakers' defense has been, I don't think they shoot enough 3-pointers to keep up with Boston. But LeBron James and Davis would certainly not be rattled by the big spotlight, and they would benefit from the extra time off between games as much as anyone.

It would be a totally new experience for Denver, but they are a complete team led by perhaps the best player in the world at the moment. And Jamal Murray looks like Bubble Jamal again, but he hasn't faced a defensive backcourt like Smart and White. One interesting thing to keep an eye on if the Celtics face the Nuggets: The Celtics have a MASSIVE fan base in Denver.

Have a parade. Party. Party some more. Sign Jaylen Brown to an extension. Draft a second-round pick who probably won't be part of the rotation next year.

Otherwise, their top seven rotation players are all locked in for next season.

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Celtics in 5, maybe 4 if Jimmy Butler has already emptied his tank. Nuggets in 7.

off the top of my head...

Grant Williams, Derrick White, and assistant coach Ben Sullivan play HORSE after every practice.

Deuce and Grant Williams still have a rivalry that might just be fun and games but might be a true battle.

Mike Muscala sometimes sings random songs to himself.

NBA players love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Joe Mazzulla's jiu-jitsu professor has been coming to all of the games.

Luke Kornet (or maybe Kornet's wife?) sometimes brings in baked goods.

Blake Griffin and Payton Pritchard are locker-room buddies.

When we go into the locker room after games players are glued to their phones.

Barring a surprising big trade in which Gallinari's salary is needed for matching purposes, he'll probably be back next year and given a chance to show what he has left. As for this year, I'd put his chances of returning at just slightly above 0, but basically 0. Even if he could give it a shot, the Celtics would never want to just throw him into such a high-stakes situation ice cold and risk disturbing their own chemistry.