Sometimes the coaches get involved, too. That's what occurred with Toronto Raptors head honcho Dwane Casey on a few notable possessions late in Monday night's critical Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The first came with roughly 1:15 remaining in regulation, when Casey did not enter the field of play but shadowed J.R. Smith with impressive lateral quickness before the Cavs gunner attempted a three-pointer over Bismack Biyombo
Roughly 30 seconds later, Casey sprinted from the opposite bench and onto the court to make sure his team got a timeout:
Casey's best play came in the final 10 seconds when he clapped at Kyrie Irving as he attempted to get the Cavs within one possession with a three-pointer:
Maybe we should have seen these moves coming. SB Nation's Mike Prada told fans to look out for such defensive maneuvers from Casey and other coaches in a playoff preview published on April 15 (check out No. 35 on this list), and here we are in late May with a pretty notable example in one of the biggest games of the season. It's difficult to say that Casey won the game for the Raptors with this habitual line-stepping, but this also isn't something coaches are supposed to be able to do.