Boston Celtics: 3 reasons the season is over

2. Celtics finally play like their age

Throughout these 2018 NBA Playoffs, we’ve marveled at Boston’s ability to play so well while relying on such inexperienced players.

Jayson Tatum is 20. Jaylen Brown is 21. Terry Rozier is 24 — all so young, yet all were key contributors to the cause.

After their excellent play leading up to Game 7, the trio of Brown, Rozier and Marcus Smart crumbled underneath the pressure, failing to convert on looks they’ve become so accustomed to hitting.

Coupled with their terrible shooting was awful shot selection, Brad Stevens’ offense failed to execute when it mattered most, which led to ill-advised attempts at the most costly of times.

Down just four with a few minutes left, Marcus Smart grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Marcus Morris.

Rather than execute a set to get something closer to the basket, the C’s went for the home run play, jacking up a 3-pointer as Smart once again corralled the miss, only to watch as Rozier chucked up another deep shot soon after, bricking it in the process.

All in all, Rozier failed to make a shot from beyond the arc in 10 attempts, not understanding the need to attack the basket in order to get some easy looks.

The playoffs are a learning experience, and while the Celtics exceeded everyone’s expectations, it was clear in Game 7 they still have to learn a few things before competing for titles.