If the tutus were made of any other material, Stephen Curry would have had a much easier time trying to "wrap them" for his two daughters, who were waiting for him to get home with a present for Halloween. But these weren't silk or cotton tutus that Curry was trying to shove into an athletic bag Monday night after he scored a game-high 31 points in the Golden State Warriors' 141-113 drubbing of the LA Clippers. These blue-and-gold Warriors tutus were made from a stiff, chiffon-like material that was easy to smash or catch in a zipper. So Curry was, to paraphrase John Wooden, being quick but not hurrying.

"We all have things more important than basketball in our lives," Curry said as he concentrated on placing the tutus in the bag just right.

There are those who will never understand what could be more important than basketball to a two-time MVP as he tries to lead a team to a fourth consecutive NBA Finals. And particularly this year as the Warriors have gotten off to a rather sloppy 5-3 start heading into Thursday's game in San Antonio.

But while the traditionalists, Thibodeau-ians and Kobe-philes would argue for all-night shooting sessions or 4 a.m. runs up the nearby sand dunes to cure the Warriors' early-season malaise, Curry was actually following his coaches' instructions to rest.

You say that word in the modern NBA and people go straight to the San Antonio Spurs resting players en masse during the regular season or last year's leaguewide debacle around resting star players for high-profile nationally televised games.

That's not what Kerr wants the Warriors doing. Sure, they'll rest players at strategic moments or if they're dealing with chronic injuries. But Kerr believes it's far more important for them to rest their minds so their spirits are in the right place come playoff time.

Frustration boiled over for Stephen Curry, who was ejected from the Warriors' third game of the season. AP Photo/Brandon Dill

"The season is so long, and there are so many stresses on us," Curry said. "If you let those stresses get to you, they'll get the best of you."

There's no need to remind Curry of the game in Memphis on Oct. 21 when he was ejected for throwing his mouthguard in the direction of a referee. He knows that was frustration working through him.

No excuse for that! Gotta remember who I am playing for... — Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) October 22, 2017

This is what happens when people deal with mental or physical fatigue over a long period of time. Tired people get irritable, frustrated, short and crabby. They snap at things that would usually roll off their backs. They dwell on petty grievances.

"This is the hardest year," guard Shaun Livingston said. "Just the way our mind feels. It's mentally taxing over physically. ... So we're trying not to snap. We're trying to build some resistance to that."

Kerr has been there. As a player on the Michael Jordan-era Chicago Bulls and the Tim Duncan-era Spurs, he says this Warriors team reminds him of the 1997-98 Bulls team that won "only" 62 games in the regular season after winning 72 and 69 games and NBA championships the previous two seasons.

"In [1997] with the Bulls, we started off 8-7 ... and we were having all these team meetings," Kerr said. "[This] feels exactly the same. The fatigue, the emotional and spiritual fatigue that sets in when you've been going to the Finals.

"That's why LeBron [James] going to the Finals seven years in a row, to me, is one of the most amazing accomplishments ever for a player in this league."

So instead of extra workouts or team-building activities, Kerr told his players not to come to training camp early this year. As in, do not show up until media day. Spend every day and minute of their already-shortened offseason with their families or doing things they enjoy.

"Like we had two months off. Everybody else has five," Draymond Green said. "So they're going to have time to miss the game. And we kinda don't have time to get away from it."

For Green that meant traveling and spending time with his young son. For Curry it was time with his family, golf or cleaning his garage.

"I just want to spend like three hours in there and accomplish nothing," Curry said with a smile. "I just go in and rearrange everything."