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MVP Race: Doc Rivers says Durant No. 1, Blake Griffin No. 2

Mark D. Smith / USA Today Sports

Ask most anyone in NBA circles who the league's Most Valuable Player is, and they'll give you an answer but qualify it with some iteration of "but it's close between Kevin Durant and LeBron James." 

It's been pretty much accepted that it's a two-man race, leading to some interesting debate about who the third most valuable player is. That argument can include Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Paul George, Kevin Love and more. The leading name in that debate may be Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin, who has made "the leap" in his fourth season.

Ask his head coach Doc Rivers, though, and Griffin should actually be wedged into the aforementioned two-man battle for the award.

"I think second because I'm coaching him," Rivers said when asked of Griffin's candidacy. "I think Durant has had the best year. I still think LeBron [James] is still the best player in the NBA but I think Durant has had an MVP year. I don't know who has had a better year. And I honestly think Blake would be right behind him."

The biggest point in favor of Griffin is that the Clippers are third in the West at 55-24 despite having played 19 games without Paul. Griffin is averaging 24.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists, posting career-highs with a 23.8 player efficiency rating and a 58.1 true shooting percentage while also improving defensively.

However, Paul's presence would likely limit his support, and ESPN's new Wins Above Replacement metric ranks him just ninth, behind Paul and teammate DeAndre Jordan, who has provided enormous defensive value.

Plus, it's hard to bust up the LeBron-Durant narrative at this point, and it's unlikely that Griffin supporters could make a convincing enough case for voters to push either superstar down their ballots. It really does speak to the improvements in Griffin's game, though, that it's even worth discussing.

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