Though they’ll have some opposition, Paul George and the LA Clippers are hoping to challenge for the top spot in the Western Conference.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana The Los Angeles Clippers want to continue winning games and vying for the top seed in the Western Conference following the All-Star break. Paul George, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard have all contributed to the Clippers’ incredible rise to the top of the Western Conference.

With a 36-17 record, the Clippers were two games behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the third-best record in the Conference going into All-Star Weekend.

As the second “half” of the season gets underway, Paul George thinks the Clippers still have a lot of potential to grow, but he also asserts that they would not be in this position if not for their early-season six-game losing streak.

When asked about his favourite aspect of the season, Paul George said, “I think the six-game losing streak,” to ClutchPoints at All-Star Weekend. “The losing run of six games. Since we were aware that things couldn’t get any worse from there. We anticipated that once we started to win, things will start to fall into place, so we’re going to get better. Therefore, in my opinion, we don’t go on a 33-10 stretch or anything similar without that. Without those six losses, I don’t think we would have gone on that run.

After acquiring James Harden on October 30, the Clippers went on a six-game losing run that saw them finish the season at 3-7, including five straight losses to begin Harden’s career in this organisation. Paul George pointed out that the Clippers are 33-10 since switching up the starting lineup on November 17th, which is the second-best record in that time behind the Boston Celtics’ 34-10 mark.

Now that they have a genuine opportunity to win the Western Conference’s top seed and finish the regular season strong, Paul George says the Clippers’ greatest obstacle will be staying focused and adopting a “one game at a time” mentality.

George remarked, “Not looking too far ahead is [the hardest part].” “With thirty games, just focus on each game individually and avoid looking too far ahead.” Since you usually wind up doing that throughout the second part of the season. You begin to focus on getting to the playoffs and start to look forward to them. However, we must simply approach each game as it comes.

The NBA’s seventh-toughest remaining strength of schedule belongs to the Clippers. They will play the Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Minnesota Timberwolves twice apiece in their remaining 29 games. The Los Angeles Lakers still have games against the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Cleveland Cavaliers.”That’s the pressure they all have, I think, when you look at teams that really have high expectations of winning,” George said. Everyone is under pressure to perform well in the second half, make a comeback, and position themselves where they want to be. We obviously want to be among the top teams, have a high seed, and play at our best in the second half, but I don’t think there’s any extra pressure on us to achieve these goals.

On Thursday, February 22nd, the Clippers will play their first game following the All-Star break against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their season series is now tied at one game apiece, and that match will be the third one. They will play the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night in their first game back in Los Angeles.

Paul George is averaging 22.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 50 games for the Clippers this season. He is also shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three. The nine-time NBA All-Star is utilising the All-Star break to get ready for the season’s final stretch after battling a persistent groin/hip issue this year.