Much of the talk coming out of Game 2 of the NBA Finals was the Raptors' decision to go with a "box-and-1" defensive strategy in the fourth quarter, designed primarily to make life tough on Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
What the heck is a box-and-1, you might ask?
Not everyone is a former basketball player. Not everyone can speak to the intricacies of play designs or defensive rotations. Not everyone is an auditory learner.
For those of you that are more visually inclined, Twitter user @Dubs408 took the time to illustrate how the Raptors' defense was designed to limit Curry.
Look at how Steph is being guarded lol. pic.twitter.com/7uCZVkve4F— Alex 🏁🏁🏁 (@Dubs408) June 4, 2019
Sports
Pretty cool, right?
As you can see, the defense that Curry referred to as "janky" was designed to have Curry occupied by several defenders at all times. Watch how the defense severely collapses towards him as he drives through the lane, and how multiple defenders linger with him as he comes off screens.
To a certain extent, it worked. Curry was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. In fact, he didn't even attempt a shot.
But to the extent it ultimately matters, the strategy simply wasn't good enough. In focusing so much attention on Curry, the Raptors inevitably were forced to leave other Warriors shooters wide open beyond the arc.
Andre Iguodala was one such player, and his 3-pointer with 5.4 seconds left -- in which there wasn't a Raptors defender within 10 feet of him -- iced Golden State's victory, and tied the Finals at one game apiece.
The box-and-1 is bound to be less effective when Klay Thompson is on the court alongside Curry -- which he wasn't in the fourth quarter of Game 2, when Thompson was out of the game with a hamstring injury.
[RELATED: Why Draymond confident he'll dice up box-and-1 in Game 3]
If Thompson is able to play in Game 3 -- he's currently listed as questionable -- expect to see less attention paid to Curry, not out of failure, but out of necessity.
