Boston Celtics new practice facility: Five things to know about 'The Auerbach Center'

BOSTON — Tuesday was the grand opening of the Boston Celtics' new practice facility, the Auerbach Center.

The day included appearances from current Celtics brass, like coach Brad Stevens and owner Wyc Grousbeck, to former players to Boston and Massachusetts figures, like mayor Marty Walsh and governor Charlie Baker.

Now that the team has unveiled the new building for the world to see, here are five fun facts about a practice facility that signals quite a change for one of the NBA's most successful organizations:

(Kristin LaFratta/MassLive.com)

There are two courts.

The Celtics’ previous practice facility isn't nearly as advanced as this one. The team has been practicing in at a Boston Sports Club in Waltham for almost two decades, and though in some ways, the facilities there are standard for an NBA team, they’re not nearly as abundant or decadent as the ones at the Auerbach Center.

Namely, the Celtics now have two full courts on which they can practice. At the Waltham facility, there's just one. The photo above shows just the far court, with the near one covered in carpet for Tuesday's opening press conference.

The floors at the new facility are built to prevent injuries, placed on top of two pieces of plywood, which are separated by a foamy substance, making the hardwood a bit more springy. And that's not the only high-tech chance at the Auerbach Center.

(Kristin LaFratta/MassLive.com)

There is an actual film room.

The Celtics have to watch game film in the locker room at the Waltham facility. This one has its own movie theater, built for the sole purpose of X's and O's study. The team was considering not including a room like this until Stevens, who visited some other teams’ modern practice facilities, saw them elsewhere and wanted one for himself.

There's a 98-inch television mounted on the wall between two massive whiteboards. Beyond it are three rows of black, movie-theater-style chairs. The chairs accommodate for size, which makes sense only for an NBA team. Guards will feel most comfortable sitting in the smaller chairs up front. The back row is catered to big men.

(Fred Katz/MassLive.com)

The light in the locker room is perfect.

The film theater isn't the only room where the Celtics have used technology to cater to players.

Every part of the locker room is bright. With the way the it is constructed — perfectly circular and with no crevices or corners — light should distribute evenly across it. The acoustics in there are unique to the building, too. Because of the way the team designed the it, there is a distinct echo of whomever is speaking at the exact center of the room. Players won't be able to say they can't hear Stevens when he's speaking to the squad.

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There is a lot of water.

There are three pools, including hydraulic ones designed for injury rehab. There is a float tank, a saltwater tank that players use for sensory deprivation and relaxation therapy. The water in there has 1,100 pounds of salt, meaning it's impossible to sink in. Players use it to get useful sleep or just to rest.

If they don't want to go in the float tank, they can go in the nap room, too, which has two reclining leather chairs, blankets and a television. It's an idea the Celtics got from MLB teams, which have been using nap rooms for a while. It's located next to a massage room (and yes, there is a team masseuse). Heck, if they really want to feel cleaned up, there's a mini, single-chaired barbershop in the locker room.

As for more water activities, there are six private, glass-door showers in the bathroom as well as a steam room to the side of them.

(Fred Katz/MassLive.com)

This is a healthy experience.

It may not sound like much to have an MRI machine on site, but it makes a difference for the Celtics, who had to send players to a nearby hospital if any needed major medical assistance at the former practice facility.

The team has also added a massive lounge area with couches, a health food bar, a fireplace, frozen yogurt machines and a restaurant-style chef's kitchen for Nick Arcuri, team chef and dietician. Arcuri will post a breakfast menu on a television screen next to the open kitchen and will cook made-to-order meals in the morning. Lunch is a buffet. And as a diet expert, he can cater meal plans to players’ specific diets.

Of course, Arcuri made sure the team got rid of the deep fryer in the kitchen. As he puts it, there's no need for any food drenched in oil in there.

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Fred Katz covers the Celtics for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter: @FredKatz.