San Francisco, CA – The NBA Defensive Player of the Year this season ended up being Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. It was well deserved, even though the Golden State Warriors believe Draymond Green would have won the trophy if he never got hurt.

“How many games did he play? 46? I think it’s strictly games played,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told ClutchPoints. “I know a couple of years when I was in TV, I had a vote for this stuff, and games played for sure factors in. He (Green) was on course to win the award, I think, for sure but the injury, unfortunately, derailed that.”

Green was having one of the best seasons of his career defensively. Midway through the season, Green was the clearcut favorite to win the DPOY award. Green has only won it once, and he desperately wanted it again this season. But Kerr said the Warriors veteran is more focused on winning the NBA title.

“The good news is he looks great out there right now,” Kerr said. “He's in a really good place. He would rather win a game than a trophy and ultimately win a different kind of trophy, but that’s who Draymond is. I know that would’ve meant a lot to him.”

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The Warriors won Game 1 of their first round matchup against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Playoffs, 123-107, and hope to duplicate the performance in Game 2 on Wednesday. Jordan Poole had a game-high 30 points, while Green contributed all-around numbers of 12 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.