Stephen Curry is perfectly fine with taking a night or two off during the regular season so he's good to go when the games matter most.
The Golden State Warriors superstar defended his right to rest, which he insists is about more than missing one game.
"Waking up after a long stretch of games or a road trip or whatever, waking up and not having to mentally prepare for that 7:30 tipoff is invaluable," he told Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding. "Physically, it's nice to get fresh or stay off your legs. But the mental preparation it takes for us to get ready for a game, it's taxing. You undervalue that whole 24 hours, just how important that is."
This comes in response to all the hullabaloo over Steve Kerr resting his stars, including Curry, during a nationally televised game last month against the San Antonio Spurs which was ultimately dubbed the "DNP Bowl."
That was the only night this campaign in which Curry was held out for rest purposes, as it was on the second night of a road back-to-back. The 29-year-old sharpshooter said improved scheduling can help prevent that, and expressed confidence in commissioner Adam Silver's ability to resolve the issue.
The Dubs went all out last year to capture an NBA-record 73 regular-season wins. While they accomplished that feat, it meant little as they were burnt out when the playoffs rolled around and were unable to defend their title. Curry sprained his right MCL in the first round of the playoffs, and it clearly bothered him the rest of the way.
The club has taken a completely different approach this year. Entering 2016-17, the Warriors were adamant they wouldn't pursue 74 regular-season wins. They're fresher now, and on pace to net a league-leading 67 victories and have home-court advantage throughout the postseason, when they'll attempt to capture their second championship in three years.
"Us as players, we had put ourselves in position to say, 'Let's go after it. We don't know if we'll ever get that chance again,'" Curry said. "I wouldn't second-guess it ever. But going forward, I have a different perspective about what's important throughout the regular season and how to best prepare yourself for those last three months.
"It's not diminishing your expectations at all either; it's just being real at how long the season is and understanding what it takes to be fresh in April, May, June. I think it's all right to talk like that."
Golden State's efforts to stay fresh seem to be paying off, as it's won 11 straight games since the "DNP Bowl."
Curry's averaging 25.2 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 33.5 minutes.
