The Point Four-ward: It’s (Pist)On!

Four points I’m thinking about the Cleveland Cavaliers…

1.) You should always be careful when indicating a preference in playoff opponents. Anytime a player, team representative or fan talks about “wanting” or “preferring” to face a particular foe, I imagine a legion of Keebler Elves shoving pie shells into their ovens (which are located in hollowed out trees… talk about a major fire hazard) to be filled later with whipped cream and hurled at the offending party, a small measure of comeuppance.

That being said, given the choice of the Cavs facing the Detroit Pistons or the Indiana Pacers in the first round, the fan in me wanted to see the Cavs face the Pistons.

Go on, Elves. Make your pies. I’m ready for you.

Preferring the way the Cavs match up with the Pistons doesn’t mean that this series will be completely worry free. 2009 is still to fresh in my mind for me to sleep completely soundly in advance of a LeBron James-led team facing a Stan Van Gundy coached squad, let alone one that features a dominant center surrounded by versatile, talented wings (any of whom might eventually test positive for HGH).

But that’s also why I like this match-up. For all of the playoff rivalry built up between James and Paul George, it’s a rivalry that was planted when James was a member of the Miami Heat.  James versus the Pistons… James versus Van Gundy… now THAT is (recent) vintage Cavaliers playoff basketball.

The match-up will also give the Cavs’ guards an early, passable test on stopping dribble penetration, specifically that of Pistons point guard Reggie Jackson. Jackson has shot better this year (over 35% from three) but his game is predicated on the drive that, when paired with the option of tossing the ball to all-world lob-recipient Andre Drummond, could give the Cavs fits.

Get ready for a lot of “head of the snake” talk, folks. Wouldn’t be the playoffs without it.

2.) Just because the regular season wrapped up this week doesn’t mean that the Cavs front office was sitting on their hands ready to go to war with the roster they’ve had in place for the last two months. They still had one open slot on their roster to fill going into the playoffs.

That roster spot — the one the Cavs have had since the trade deadline — is open no more.

As reported by Chris Haynes on cleveland.com, the Cavs have signed 6-6 swingman Dahntay Jones.

“[Jones] played the 2015-16 campaign for the Grand Rapids Drive of the NBA Development League and averaged 15.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The 6-6 guard has played for Memphis, Sacramento, Denver, Indiana, Dallas, Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers during his 11-year career.”

Jone last played in the NBA last season with the Clippers, where he averaged a less that robust 0.6 points per game in 3.7 minutes and 33 appearances.

When he signed with the Clippers last January, following his first stint in the D-League, Real GM released a scouting report on Jones. It’s likely Jones won’t contribute more than just being a quality veteran insurance policy at the end of the bench, the following two items from that scouting report are likely what appealed to Cavs GM David Griffin and head coach Tyronn Lue:

Size/Athleticism: Jones has a solid frame at 6-foot-6 and possesses a lengthy wingspan with lots of muscle. Jones still has plenty bounce and quickness left despite his age. His physical attributes will clearly translate to the NBA, as they have before.

Defense: This will be the area Jones is expected to make his biggest impact. He uses his strength to frustrate opponents and force them outside of the lane. While Jones is 34, he still moves well laterally and shows his athleticism with an occasional highlight block. Doc Rivers has already praised Jones’ defense and will likely use him for this aspect.

3.) As I wrote last week, since the All Star break, the Cavs have been jacking up three point shots like never before. Last season, they averaged 27.5 three point attempts per game and made 10 of those.  For the first half of this season, the Cavs, under head coach David Blatt, remained pretty true to their marks from a year ago. They attempted 28.2 three pointers and hit on 10.2 of them, ranking in the top five in the league for both attempts and makes.

Since Lue took over, the Cavs are up to 31.3 three point attempts and 11.5 makes, good for third and second in the league respectively. In the last two weeks, though, the team has pressed its collective foot even more firmly on the three-pointer pedal. In April, they are averaging 33.5 attempts and 14 makes from distance. Over that period, they have been averaging the most made three point field goals in the NBA, more even than the Golden State Warriors (though, just barely… the Ws hit 13.7 per).

Check out more on the Cavs love of the long ball — and what it means to their search for a team identity — in a new video segment debuting this Friday.

4.) We here at Cavs: the Blog are a humble lot. We don’t (often) speak of ourselves in the third person or make wild predictions based on the sheer assemblage of talent on our staff (“This week? Not two posts… not three… not four… not five… not six… not seven…”). So, rather than risk pulling a muscle as I reach behind me to clap myself on the back — an unforgivable injury this close to playoff time — I would like to give credit where credit is deserved, to all of the talented GMs that made the second year of Cavs: the Fantasy League so much fun.

As reported last week, the battle for the CtFL trophy pitted Evil Genius’s Team Evil Genius against my own Team Klutch Me (I’m Fallin’). In the end… well, let’s just say that Cavs fans should hope that this result is somehow prescient of the actual playoffs.

That’s right, Team Klutch took the title home to Chez Attenweiler in Long Island City, NY. Feel free to visit it any time, Genius. But now that I got a taste, I ain’t ever lettin’ it go.

In the battle for third and fourth place, Mike Schreiner’s Team Evan Turner Overdrive fell to CtB reader Gregg Andrick and Team Fresh Squeezed. Mike did get to take home a share of the Best Team Name, though, splitting that award with Nate Smith and his team, Jared’s Cunning Hams.

Take a bow, gentlemen… but do your lower backs a favor and bend at the knees. The real heavy lifting of the NBA season begins this weekend.