Draymond Green's importance to Warriors on full display in playoffs

OAKLAND -- It’s an argument that has engaged most every Warriors fan at some time or other and it’s probably raging among thousands at this very minute.

Who is the most important player on the team?

The Stephen Curry camp points out his two MVPs and the way Curry can single-handedly dismantle opposing defenses with his shooting range and penetration.

The Kevin Durant camp leans on his constant matchup advantage, ability to score in isolation -- which can be a valuable asset in the postseason -- and also protect the rim on defense.

The Klay Thompson camp cites to his ability to do so much with so little. It’s exceedingly difficult to replace someone who doesn’t need the ball, defends the most explosive backcourt opponent and is decidedly low-maintenance.

The Draymond Green camp refers to his innate ability to do to offenses what Curry does to defenses, with the latest example coming Saturday night during a 123-101 victory over New Orleans in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

It was Green’s irrepressible spirit and gargantuan production that allowed the Warriors to thoroughly discombobulate the Pelicans, who were the hottest squad in the NBA until they stepped onto the court at Oracle Arena.

With 30 scintillating minutes, Green snatched most of, if not all of, their self-esteem.

“You can’t mimic that (Warriors defense) in practice,” Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday lamented, referring to the defense played by the Warriors in the second quarter, which featured a 37-9 run (39-39 to 76-48) that allowed them to own the night.

Any reference to the Warriors defense, almost always, is a reference to Green’s defense. To use a football analogy, Green is to the Warriors as Ray Lewis was to the two-time Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

“It's very contagious,” Thompson said. “He's going to yell at you a couple times but that's OK. It's very contagious. When he gets hyped, beats his chest and gets the crowd into it, we all get hyped.

“We all feel it and it's just like if me or Steph were to hit four or five 3s in a row. It's the same thing when he gets a couple stops in a row, takes the ball off the rim and leads the break. That's the same exact kind of momentum we can build.”

Green’s individual numbers in Game 1 were staggering: 16 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks. Less than four minutes into the second half, he reached a triple-double. He was plus-28.

“He's a tremendous player,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “He's a really smart player. But their whole team...they’ve got great size. Everybody they stick out there is 6-7, 6-8 or bigger, and they are very smart players.

“Obviously, Draymond afforded them a situation where they can do a lot of different things and they can play him on a lot of different players. The bottom line is that he almost had a triple-double before halftime, so that's not a good situation for us.”

Through six playoff games, Green’s 94.8 defensive rating is the best among players averaging at least 35 minutes per game and just beyond Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid (94.3) among those averaging at least 20 minutes per game.

There were a number of reasons why the Warriors strolled though the regular season, losing games to teams that can only dream of beating them when it matters. In addition to Curry missing 31 games. Durant missing 14, Green missing 12 and Thompson missing nine, there was the distinct vibe that this team was accumulating a reservoir of energy and urgency that would be put to use in the postseason.

All of that is visible now, and Curry has yet to play a minute in these playoffs.

And while it is ridiculous to believe the Warriors can win a championship without Curry, it is no less ridiculous to believe they can win one without Green.

So let the arguments rage. Just know, as Warriors coach Steve Kerr says the playoffs are about defense, that there is a very strong case for the dude least likely to score.