No. 1 seed not No. 1 priority

The Warriors, naturally, would love to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for this year’s playoffs. Head coach Steve Kerr also has made it clear he will not risk his team’s health in the chase for the top spot. So what does history say? In the past 10 years, the West’s No. 1 seed has reached the NBA Finals six times. During the same span, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference has advanced to the Finals three times. The No. 1 overall seed has won the NBA championship in four of those 10 seasons.

Or put another way: Kerr and his players are right in asserting the top spot guarantees nothing.

They know firsthand, of course. The Warriors held the No. 1 seed in the West (and overall) each of the past two years. They made it to the Finals both times but won the title only once, in 2015.

Asked on Thursday about the importance of earning the No. 1 seed, forward Draymond Green said, “It used to be really important. At this point, it really doesn’t matter anymore. We just want to be healthy.

“You want to put yourself in the best position to be successful come playoff time, and that doesn’t always mean the 1 seed. We just want to get there healthy and keep getting better every day.”

The Warriors (54-14) hold a 1½-game lead over San Antonio (52-15). The Spurs hold the tiebreaker over Golden State, because they’ve already clinched the head-to-head season series.

This year, the No. 1 seed in the West seems likely to face a smoother path to advancing. The teams grappling for the No. 8 spot (Denver, Portland, Dallas and Minnesota) all are under .500. The teams in the Nos. 5-7 spots (L.A. Clippers, Oklahoma City and Memphis) are distinctly more dangerous.

Also, earning the top seed would mean avoiding Houston (47-23), the likely No. 3 seed, until the conference finals.

Kerr on Martin: Kerr’s son, Nick, played at Cal for one season under Cuonzo Martin and then worked there as a graduate assistant coach. Kerr had an interesting response when asked about Martin’s departure for Missouri.

“Nothing surprises me in college basketball,” he said. “Pro basketball? I’m pretty sure I can’t get up and leave; I have a couple of years left on my contract. …

“College basketball is kind of a strange deal. Heaven forbid the players have any rights to get out of their scholarship when the coach leaves, but coaches can leave all the time under contract.

“I’m a big fan of Cuonzo. He treated my son really well and I really wish him well.”