Heading into Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals, everyone knew that the Toronto Raptors were going to try something unique to stop Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. I don’t think anybody was expecting to see a box-and-one defense appear, but it is exactly what the Raptors did.
For those who might be unfamiliar, this type of defense is a strategy in which four players are in a zone defense at each corner of the painted area while the remaining defender is playing man-to-man against a certain opponent. This method is used frequently in high school and college but rarely in the NBA, especially this deep into the postseason.