CLEVELAND -- Former NBA player and 10-time All-Star Paul Pierce recently said that, right now, Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant is the best player in the game.
Pierce's statement provoked a spirited debate that centered on the omission of Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star LeBron James.
Durant's frontcourt teammate Draymond Green weighed in on the discussion Tuesday, saying the answer is a matter of personal preference.
Green then proceeded to explain what makes Durant so unique.
"LeBron is a great player, but KD is great," Green said. "I think KD is like a created player. If you create this player and you can do everything you want to do, you are probably going to create Kevin Durant. So he's special. Both of those guys are special. I don't think either is out here playing for the title of best player in the world. They are playing for a title. An NBA title."
The Warriors are up 2-0 in this year's entry in the NBA Finals trilogy, in large part due to Durant's excellence.
He has been on a mission on both ends of the court, holding the Cavaliers to 37 percent shooting as the primary defender. When James has guarded Durant, the 6-foot-11 forward has scored 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting and has committed one turnover. When Durant has defended James, the four-time MVP has scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting while turning over the ball six times.
Durant said he learned how important defense was during his first go-round in the playoffs, when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"It started in 2010, [when] we first made the playoffs, and going over scouting reports, defense is the only thing you really are concerned about, really, to start the series," Durant said. "So that's what I started to realize how important defense is. I know that's kind of late on my career, but it's really when I started to focus on the importance of getting a stop and rebounding and taking care of the ball."
In the first two Finals games, Durant is averaging 35.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 blocks while shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range. James is doing his part, averaging 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 11.0 assists and 1.5 blocks while shooting 55 percent from the field and 33 percent from long distance.
Durant and James have faced off in seven Finals games, in 2012 and this season, with the former outscoring his counterpart in five (with one tie).
Last week, James was asked about the difference with this Warriors group compared to last year, and he responded, "KD."
That might be an understatement.
Harrison Barnes, the Warriors' starting forward a year ago who is now with the Dallas Mavericks, struggled mightily in the 2016 Finals, scoring 65 points in seven games. Durant has recorded 71 in two games.
But when it pertains to the debate about the better player, Durant or James, Green insists each is striving for another goal in this series.
"I think that is the last thing on both their minds," Green said. "Who is going to say who is better? End of the day, it doesn't matter. If you don't win, and someone says he is the best player in the world, what do you get from that? But you get a lot more from getting a ring. I think that is both of those guys' focus. ... I'd be willing to bet both of them would rather have a title than that title."