3 Obvious, 2 subtle moves Joe Mazzulla must make to turn Celtics into title favorites

Subtle: Take fewer threes

As of this writing, the Celtics are the fourth-hottest shooting team in the NBA from three-point range. They are knocking down 38.6% of their outside shots, putting them over every team in the association besides the Thunder, Timberwolves and Clippers.

Boston's offense is blistering. But one change they could make is to balance out their shot diet a bit. This is not to say they should go away from what they do best in making lots of threes, but simply to give themselves more options when things inevitably slow down in the playoffs.

Relying on the three is fine when you're great at it, but possessions always become harder to come by in April, May and June. Making sure they have good counters for a cold shooting night is a smart idea.

Obvious: Make the most of possessions

This one goes hand in hand with balancing out the offensive attack. The Celtics' offense is of course highly efficient and has been killing opposing defenses all season, but we have already seen what happens when things stall out for them.

Against the Cavs on Tuesday, they gave up an 18-2 run to Cleveland and scored just seven points over the final 6:11 of play. That is flat out inexcusable for a team with an offense as high-powered as the Celtics. This team must figure out how to waste as few possessions as possible, especially down the stretch of close games. If they do not, it will be their undoing in the playoffs.