2017 NBA Finals: Best defensive players through Game 2

May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) during the second quarter in game one of the Western conference finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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Jun 1, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) in the second half of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 1, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Stephen Curry (30) in the second half of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Through the first two games of the NBA Finals, which players have stepped up their defense, and which are slacking?

Everything is magnified in the NBA Finals. Clutch – or soft – players are exposed, and their reputations are often forever altered. The old adage “Defense Wins Championships” never matters more than in the NBA Finals (duh!).

Traditional Advanced Metrics like PER and Defensive Wins shares don’t always accurately measure how effective players are on defense. Klay Thompson, after all, has never posted positive Defensive Box Plus/Minus (DBPM) stats, despite being considered a superb defender.

Kawhi Leonard infamously got misrepresented by imperfections in defensive metrics, which assessed him as one of the worst defenders on the 2017 Spurs.

Through the first two games of the NBA Finals, several players on each team have distinguished themselves as excellent on-ball, and help-defenders. Let’s examine the series’ four best defenders thus far, and a few more players who need to assert themselves more on the less glamorous end of the floor.