Celtics are a terrible playoff matchup for the Cavs, and talent has nothing to do with it — Jimmy Watkins

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Jayson Tatum should be dyeing grey hairs and wearing ice packs on the bench. The Celtics forward turns 26 next month. But in postseason years, he’s aging — and gaining wisdom — faster than dogs.

Tatum has already played 94 playoff games in seven seasons, tied for 26th-most among active players (tied with Cavs center Tristan Thompson). He’s already 23 games ahead of the seven-year pace set by LeBron James, who owns the all-time record for postseason games played (282). And he only ranks third on his own team in playoff experience, which might be the most impressive/intimidating stat concerning the Eastern Conference’s best team.

Forget that Tatum and Jaylen Brown (105 career playoff games) form one of two NBA wing tandems averaging 22 points and five rebounds this season (along with the Clippers’ Paul George and Kawhi Leonard). Forget that every Celtics starter has an All-NBA season, an All-Star appearance and/or an All-Defensive honor on his resume. And forget Boston’s 43-12 record at the All-Star break, which leads the league by four games ahead of Minnesota.

If the Cavs play the Celtics this postseason, seasoning will be a bigger Boston advantage than any of the above.

No Eastern Conference contender has more than Boston’s core (top six minute-earners). And no Eastern Conference contender has less than the Cavs’ (which does not include Thompson). So as cleveland.com continues ranking the Cavs’ Eastern Conference playoff threats this week, Boston’s experience makes it a team to avoid this spring.

Most Experienced Eastern Conference Playoff Cores (top-six players)

Remember center Jarrett Allen’s “lights were brighter than expected” comment from last spring? The Cavs might want to shop for sunglasses. Because if the season unfolds as planned, its spotlight will only intensify. Last season’s first-round loss to the Knicks merely introduced the Cavs to postseason pressure. And no team can explain the next step better than Boston.

The Celtics have appeared in five of the last seven Eastern Conference finals, including one trip to the NBA Finals. Brown experienced all five runs, while Tatum and Al Horford (167 career playoff games) experienced four alongside him.

Derrick White (53 career playoff games) arrived during the 2021-22 season, which culminated in Boston’s Finals loss. And while Jrue Holiday (70 career playoff games) has only played 50 games as a Celtic, he played 40 playoff games over three seasons in Milwaukee, including a championship run in 2021 and a seven-game loss against the Celtics in 2022.

Put another way:

Boston’s experience breeds the confidence required to succeed under postseason scrutiny. And the Celtics’ continuity — or in Holiday’s case, familiarity — breeds the resolve necessary to bounce back when they fail. You won’t see Brown, Tatum or Horford caught off guard during a playoff series, because they’ve already seen so much together.

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The Cavs, on the other hand, are still adjusting their vision to the light, and honestly, still learning how they look together.

Darius Garland (five career playoff games) and Donovan Mitchell (44 career playoff games) have played 89 games together (including playoffs), which is seven more than Tatum and Brown have played together in the postseason (82).

Garland and Evan Mobley (five career playoff games) have played fewer playoff minutes combined (377) than Celtics reserve Payton Pritchard has played by himself (433).

Even Thompson, signed due to his decorated track record, would rank fifth on Boston’s roster in playoff minutes played — and who knows how much run he’ll receive when he returns from his 25-game suspension for PEDs.

Reminder: We still haven’t discussed in-depth Boston’s elite wing tandem, or its loaded starting lineup, or its league-leading record. We haven’t mentioned that Boston ranks sixth in 3-point percentage, while the Cavs still rank 18th despite the recent small-ball revolution. And we haven’t analyzed Boston’s defense, which added Holiday and Porzingis — while subtracting Marcus Smart — to a group that already ranked third in playoff defensive rating last spring (first among teams that won a series).

We don’t have to, because the Celtics’ experience is already a big enough boon. The Cavs still don’t know what they don’t know, no matter how many lessons they infer from last year’s Knicks loss or learn from Thompson and Max Strus (43 career playoff games). And the Celtics know better than any team the Cavs might see this postseason.

Tatum may look young, but he’s maturing quickly. The Cavs may have matured this season, but they’re still puppies compared to Boston.

Talent may succeed over 82 games, but wisdom sustains over 16, and the Celtics have more of both than anyone.