The Warriors lost! Golden State dropped to 36-3 on the season, and while many stories are about how the three other teams that began the year 36-3 went on to win the title, it's being lost that the Warriors fell with Draymond Green on the bench. Stephen Curry receives the most accolades on the team, but Green is quietly putting together one of the grittiest MVP campaigns ever.

NamePointsReboundsAssistsFG%3P%
Stephen Curry29.85.26.550.744.4
Draymond Green15.29.77.347.542.3

Curry's averaging nearly 30 points a night, which is startling, but Green's putting up the rebound totals of power forwards with major size advantages on him, and averaging more assists than the NBA's top point guard. The narrow gap between 3-point percentages is misleading - Curry shoots10 3-pointers a night while Green takes four - but he's still become a dangerous marksman from deep.

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Green also is far more valuable than Curry on the defensive end, even though Curry, the reigning MVP, has become an above average defender. Green's 2.4 defensive win shares (per Basketball-Reference.com) are eighth in the NBA, and he has to perform against the largest variety of opponents in the NBA. Green is responsible for guarding every position from shooting guard to center, and the team still ranks sixth in the NBA in defensive rating.

Green has mastered the modern era of pace-and-space basketball. 51 percent of his shot attempts come from beyond the arc, while another 21 percent come from three feet in or closer, meaning 72 percent of Green's 11.2 field goal attempts are of the greatest value on the court.

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Keep in mind that Curry played 40 minutes vs. the Nuggets Wednesday night, scored 38 points with nine assists and five rebounds and still the defending champions fell short. They gave up 112 points to a team that's now nine games under .500. They missed Draymond, who might secretly be the real MVP.

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