Danny Ainge does not appear to be blinded in the least by a thanks-for-coming, here-are-your-lovely-parting-gifts, now-run-along trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

Where at last year’s Celtics end, the president of basketball operations was disappointed in a first-round exit against Atlanta. But Ainge made it a point in a conversation with the Herald to note that he is not bathing in a confetti shower just because his club got to play the Cavaliers late in May.

That the Celts reached this level ahead of schedule is of no consolation to Ainge.

“I don’t know what ‘level’ that means,” he said. “I feel like wins are deceiving sometimes. I think that the fact that we were one of three teams still left playing was something to be proud of, but it’s not necessarily where we really are.

“I think sometimes teams make false assumptions of their team based on things like that. I think that our team is not that much different than a lot of our competition in the East. I think we had a good year in spite of some injuries, you know, with (Al) Horford going down early and Isaiah (Thomas) missing a short time and Avery (Bradley) missing 22 games there in a stretch. We had to overcome some injuries, and it was good because our depth got a chance to play. Everybody on our roster got a chance to prove their worth.

“But I feel like it doesn’t really matter what we’ve accomplished. If we’d lost Game 7 against the Wizards, I don’t feel any different than if we’re where we are today. I know that we’re good. I know that we’re not great. I know that we still have more to do, and, you know, that next step is by far the hardest.”

A large part of the problem is that the player in Ainge would love to start pushing buttons and moving chips into the middle of the table and (insert your own favorite go-for-it metaphor here). And with the No. 1 overall pick, a number of players on his roster than can help other teams and with the Nets’ top pick again next year, he has currency.

But right now he just doesn’t want to screw it up by getting over-eager. In golfing terms he most certainly understands, you cannot win a tournament on Thursday or Friday, but you can lose one on those days. If the Celtics want to be playing in the final group on Sunday, they have to avoid double-bogeys this offseason and make some shots now and later.

“This is what’s difficult about our business that I think sometimes … you know, I don’t think I knew this even when I was a player and maybe even when I coached as much as I do now,” Ainge said. “As I look around the league, I think sometimes the mistakes that are made are when you’re just that little bit, just that one piece away and you can’t get that piece.

“Just because you’re one piece away doesn’t mean you can get it. And if you force yourself to get it, and if you force a deal or force yourself to get the second-best available or the third- or fourth-best available player at that position that you need, then it might not make you that much better or make you still not good enough, and you’re stuck. So, yeah, we’re not that far away, but we’re still a ways away. We still know we need to get better. Everybody in our organization knows we need to get better. We need to add.”

Ainge then got to the heart of the Celtics matter with his next line.

“We have a lot of good players,” he said, “but we need some great ones.”

To get them, the Celts will have to identify undervalued talent, as they did with Thomas, and, more prominently, sift through the trade talks as the June 22 draft approaches.

Will a star be available? If so, will the asking price be worth it? Who needs to be kept? Who needs to be moved? How many guards can you fit onto a roster? And is Gordon Hayward a strong enough possibility in free agency that you hold open the large salary slot it will take to get him?

Ainge is facing some tough decisions made even more difficult by the fact the Celtics are far closer to their goals than they were a few years ago when the club was 20 or more moves away from checkmate.

“Oh, absolutely,” he said. “Really, really hard decisions coming up. No doubt about it.

“We have a lot of players. We have a lot of depth, and we have guys that want to play, that deserve to play. And I don’t think our roster is as balanced as it needs to be. So, yes, we have a lot of very difficult decisions. And there will be difficult decisions in free agency and who to allocate the money to, difficult decisions in the draft, difficult decisions with opportunities to make trades — no different than trade deadline times.

“So I feel like, yeah, this will be a very busy summer with a lot of difficult decisions. I feel like we will be prepared and are prepared. The only person that hasn’t been involved in day-to-day discussions with what we’ll try to do is Brad (Stevens), and he will be filled in on everything once he gets a little bit of rest. He will be filled in and be a big part of the decisions that we make.”

And there may be numerous verdicts to reach. As crazy as it sounds, there exists the possibility that a team coming off a conference finals appearance could see its roster altered by half.

“Time will tell on that, but, yeah, there is a potential for there to be some significant change,” said Ainge. “But maybe less change. Maybe more change; maybe not. A lot will be dependent on what we’re able to pull off in the draft and in deals leading up to free agency and then what happens in free agency. There’s just so much unknown right now. Right now it’s all talk and pipe dreams and planning. But there’s no certainty. It’s an exciting time for us, and it’s a very busy time for us.”

But even as he seeks to replace some of his players with better ones, he can look back on a season of good vibes and steps forward.

“You know, regardless of what happened in Game 7 with Washington or any games in this Cleveland series or even the Chicago series for that matter, I mean, I really enjoyed this team,” Ainge said. “I’ve enjoyed being around the guys. I think Brad is getting better and better as a coach as he’s getting more comfortable with the NBA. He was a good coach at the beginning, and he’s just getting better. I feel like we just have a good group of guys, and I enjoyed being around them. Even when things weren’t going great, I enjoyed being around them.”

Things are semi-serene in the office, as well. Ainge spoke of his working relationship with owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca, team president Rich Gotham, his basketball ops staff and Stevens.

“We’re all on the same page,” he said. “We see things in pretty much the same way right now, and it’s unanimously not doing certain deals and being patient. That does make it easier that we don’t have a coach freaking out that we’ve got to get better this second or we’ve got to make this trade that could hamstring us. I mean, I think as we discuss the deals that are out there, we are one in our goals and our objectives and our plan.”

And in their knowledge that, analytics be damned, the Celtics are, in real terms, far more than three wins away from the NBA Finals.