Draymond Green Shares His Thoughts on LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant Debate

While the basketball world has temporarily paused nonstop comparisons between LeBron James and Michael Jordan for comparisons between the King and his NBA Finals opponent, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green wasn't quick to choose sides. 

"LeBron is a great player, but KD is great," Green said Tuesday, per Chris Haynes of ESPN.com. "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."

Haynes noted Green's comments come after former Boston Celtics great Paul Pierce said Durant is currently the best player in the league, a title many have bestowed upon James without much debate in recent years.

Durant has a long way to go before equaling James' resume that includes three titles, four NBA MVPs and three Finals MVPs, but he dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers during Golden State's first two wins in this year's Finals.

Durant averaged a head-turning 35.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 2.5 blocks a night while shooting a blistering 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. While James has countered with triple-double averages of 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 11.0 assists, Haynes pointed out Durant held the Cleveland star to 12 points with six turnovers when guarding him.

By contrast, Durant has shot 10-of-17 from the field with just one turnover when defended by James.

The Warriors were in a similar position last year with two blowout wins at home to open the Finals against James' Cavaliers, and the 13-time All-Star responded with 41 points in each of Games 5 and 6 and a triple-double in Game 7 as Cleveland overcame a 3-1 deficit.

However, Durant's presence is a significant difference this time around as the series shifts to Cleveland on Wednesday for Game 3. If he continues to play like he did the first two games, the Warriors will be champions and he will have a better argument in head-to-head comparisons with James.