I’m a life-long Boston Celtics fan who has taken great pleasure in their success this year. Stunned by injuries to probably their two best players, I have watched them more this year than I probably have in the last five seasons combined.

And I am really looking forward to watching them in the future. Things can change quickly in the NBA, but they should be really fun to watch as they develop. NBA teams seem to have a 3-to-4 year window to get it done and the Celtics are only at the beginning of theirs.

But one thing is clear: right now, the moment was too big for the Boston Celtics.

You’ll hear Lebron this and Lebron that about Sunday night’s win in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. But it was really about the Celtics.

They simply aren’t ready.

Too many players spit the bit when the season was on the line last night. Calling it poor shooting doesn’t do it (in)justice, but it was a clear sign that shots that had always seemed to fall were now clanging off the rim. That’s a sign of pressure that hadn’t been experienced to that point.

Even in the middle of the fourth quarter, when rookie Jayson Tatum gave back-to-back momentum shifting plays, the Celtics turned around and gave it right back.

Teams that are ready to contend for championships just don’t do that.

The Celtics won only one road game in the three playoff series they played combined. Expecting to get by with winning all of your home games is asking for trouble, and that’s what Boston found against Cleveland.

Celtics fans should be excited about their future. They just shouldn’t be surprised about Sunday night’s result.