Paul George discusses 'ideal' playoff scenario for Clippers

The Clippers (39-20) are two-and-a-half games behind the Thunder (42-18) for the top seed in the Western Conference. Looking ahead to the home stretch of the season, Clippers star Paul George has declared that he and his teammates are determined to secure home-court advantage for the entirety of the West playoffs.

"Obviously, seeding is most important," George said on the latest "Podcast P with Paul George." "If we can get up to the first seed, that's ideal. It's cliche but you want to be playing your best basketball. Regardless of the seeding, we want to feel good going into the playoffs."

George further acknowledged that different teams atop the conference operate differently. While the Timberwolves (42-19) and Nuggets (42-19) prefer playing at a slower pace, with more half-court sets, the Thunder -- ranked No. 7 in the league in possessions per 48 minutes -- prefer a faster pace. As such, George hopes that his team can adjust on the fly and make changes wherever necessary.

With teams such as the Suns, Mavericks, Warriors and Lakers currently slated to be in the play-in tournament, George was asked if a top-seeded team would maneuver seeding to avoid playing a LeBron James or Luka Doncic in the first round.

"Nah, you're not doing that," George said. "If you got the one seed, you gotta lock it up. You've been playing great basketball all year. At that point, you're not worried about anybody."

If the Tyronn Lue-led Clippers were to secure the No. 1 seed, they'd make franchise history. Through their 54 years in the league, the Clippers have never before finished as the top seed. They finished as the No. 2 seed in 2019-20, the first year of George and Kawhi Leonard as Clippers. During the Lob City era, led by Chris Paul, they finished as the No. 3 seed on two separate occasions. 

The Clippers (+475) have the second-shortest odds to win the West and third-shortest odds to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June, per BetMGM. The Nuggets (+450) are favored slightly over them to represent the West in the NBA Finals.