Jayson Tatum takes swipe at Miami Heat before parade

Star forward Jayson Tatum reacts during the duck boat parade for the championship Boston Celtics on Friday in Boston. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

During a pre-parade Q&A inside TD Garden, Jayson Tatum jumped at a chance to needle one of Boston’s postseason rivals.

Tatum and other members of the Celtics jetted down to Miami to celebrate after winning Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Asked whether that trip was more relaxing than the team’s usual visits to South Beach, Tatum replied: “They’re always easy.”

The Celtics beat the injury-depleted Heat in five games to kick off their title run, winning both games in Miami. It was a measure of revenge for last postseason, when the Heat upset the C’s in the conference finals.

Dressed to the 18s

Some notable parade fashion choices: Jaylen Brown sported a black T-shirt with the words “State your source,” a callback to his online challenge to Stephen A. Smith. Derrick White wore a “Nobody Cares” tee — Joe Mazzulla’s response to White when he congratulated him on winning NBA Coach of the Month. Al Horford rocked a cowboy hat and a shirt with Tom Brady’s infamous intoxicated parade photo from the Super Bowl he won with Tampa Bay.

Kristaps Porzingis, who received the loudest cheers of any Celtics player during the NBA Finals, arrived wearing a WWE championship belt. Svi Mykhailiuk and his family had personalized “Boston Svi Party” bucket hats. Mykhailiuk, a reserve guard from Ukraine, tweeted Friday morning: “I don’t know what a duck boat is, but I’m ready.”

Horford dishing out tenders

One day before the parade, hundreds of fans descended on Boylston Street to catch a glimpse of Horford, who worked an honorary “shift” behind the counter at Raising Cane’s.

Some waited more than five hours in near-100-degree heat for the chance to meet the beloved Celtics big man, with the group at the head of the line arriving at the downtown fast food joint at 7:50 a.m.

Only a small handful were able to actually get face time with Horford, but the 38-year-old first-time champion addressed the crowd and expressed his appreciation for the city of Boston.

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“Man, it’s a special place to me,” said Horford, who first joined the Celtics in 2016 and is in his second stint with the franchise. “I feel like for me, it’s the love of the people here for their sports, for the game. When I came here (as an opponent) as a rookie, that captivated me. I’ve been all over the country and I just haven’t seen the love, the care, the commitment from people not only towards their sports, but their community. … That’s very special.”

Horford wasn’t part of the Celtics contingent that jetted down to Miami to celebrate their Finals victory — he said Thursday’s promotional appearance was the second time he’d left his house since the series ended — but was looking forward to his first duck boat parade experience.

“I feel like they know what they’re doing,” he said. “It’s just gonna be crazy.”

Horford’s heritage

As the first Dominican-born player to win an NBA title, Horford hopes he can inspire the next generation the way the Red Sox’s Dominican superstars did by winning it all in 2004.

“That fills me with a lot of pride and a lot of joy,” Horford said. “My dad (Tito) being the first Dominican player to ever play in the NBA, and for me to get to this point and this moment, I understand that I represent more than myself and my family. There’s not only a country over there but a community here. The community here is very strong in Boston and Mass., and I know people here are very happy. I’m happy to be able to bring them that joy and hopefully be able to inspire younger kids to do different things in their lives.