Fred VanVleet did a terrific job defending Steph Curry for the Toronto Raptors in the first two games of the NBA Finals. How was he able to slow him down?

Guarding Steph Curry is no easy task. However, through two games, the Toronto Raptors and Fred VanVleet are doing an admiral job.

The two-time league MVP averaged 27.3 points per game this year, his highest mark since the Golden State Warriors acquired Kevin Durant. Curry also shot nearly 44-percent from deep this season on a career-high 11.7 three-point attempts per game. At this point, he’s widely known as the greatest shooter of all time. Many would argue he’s the best offensive player in the league today.

So, with Durant sidelined by injury for the first two games of the NBA Finals, the Toronto Raptors’ top defensive task was clear: Slow down Curry.

One leading candidate for that job emerged off the bench in the form of Fred VanVleet. In the lone regular season matchup between these teams in which Curry played, VanVleet guarded him for 39 possessions, according to NBA.com – by far the most of any Raptor.

VanVleet did a solid job in that regular season game, limiting Curry to just four points on 1-for-6 shooting when he was the primary defender. Curry also had three turnovers and no assists when VanVleet guarded him, helping the Raptors dominate that game in Oakland.

Take the numbers with a grain of salt, given the NBA’s imperfect matchup data, as well as the switch-heavy nature of defending Golden State’s guards amidst off-ball screens.

Still, VanVleet’s regular season success against Curry was noteworthy, and during the NBA Finals, that trend has continued. Let’s dive into the matchup data from Games 1 and 2 of the Finals.