In their opening two games in the Western Conference Finals, the Golden State Warriors haven't had all of their All-Stars firing on all cylinders. 

Stephen Curry has uncharacteristically not shot the ball well, going a combined 2-of-13 from three-point range in the two encounters. 

Draymond Green has also struggled to assert himself as he's averaging 5.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.5 assists. He's shot just 3-for-10 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep.

It's a huge dip from his numbers against the New Orleans Pelicans in the previous round as he posted 14.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and 10.0 assists - making him the first player in franchise history to average a triple-double for an entire series. 

Head coach Steve Kerr was asked about Green's drop in production and jumped to the defence of his power forward, explaining that he doesn't always need to fill the stat sheet to be effective. 

"Numbers don't matter. Every series is different," Kerr said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "The Pelicans played at an ungodly pace. Everyone's numbers are going to be up. So who cares? It's a slower pace. It's a more methodical game.

"Triple-double is just a bunch of crap. Honestly. It looks great. Whatever. The game's a little different, so the numbers are different. Each series presents different challenges.

"Who the hell cares about triple-doubles, numbers, whatever? It's all about: how can we win the next game? And Draymond is a flat-out winner and one of the great competitors I've been around."

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year was well below his best in Game 2 but almost every player on the team apart from Kevin Durant had a bad night. 

In Game 1, however, he registered nine rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocks, and played outstanding defence as the Dubs secured a win to steal home-court advantage. 

Draymond's influence goes further than the box score as he impacts the game in so many ways.

 

Unlike his teammates, the 27-year-old doesn't need to score or make big contributions offensively to have a good game. 

But generally when he does post a triple-double, the defending champions are almost unbeatable and they'll hope he can be their Swiss Army Knife as usual in the upcoming games at home. 

The Oakland-based outfit has won 15 straight games at Oracle Arena and can set a new playoff record if they make it 16 on Sunday night. 

The Warriors rarely lose two games in a row so we can expect a much-improved performance in Game 3. 

Listen HERE to episode two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein.

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