at ORACLE Arena on December 22, 2014 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.

The Warriors fizzled out in the playoffs last season. This year, they’re aiming to not let that happen again. 

In recent years, the San Antonio Spurs have become known for not only resting their top stars, but not even traveling with players like Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. During the 2016-2017 season, the Golden State Warriors may copy that formula.

After winning the 2015 NBA title, the Golden State Warriors looked primed to replicate their success with a 2016 NBA title. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers stopped that from happening despite being down 3-1 after four games.

While some point to the fact that the Warriors had played a long brutal season where their stars weren’t rested as often as other teams as they chased history, that isn’t really an excuse. Regardless, Golden State doesn’t want to make the same mistake and is going to take a page out of San Antonio’s playbook to prevent it from happening.

According to ESPN, the Spurs have been following their own formula for about three years. Over those three seasons across the NBA, the number of players to have a DNP for rest appear next to their name on a box score rose from 46 to 86 to an incredible 146.

More incredibly, that number rose from 15 during the 2009-2010 season to the 146 during the 2015-2016 season.

Masaru Teramoto, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Utah, studied for ESPN why its important for players to rest in the NBA, especially on the road.

Teramoto researched three seasons of NBA injury data, from 2012-13 through 2014-15, in an attempt to determine if certain aspects of the schedule — in particular, back-to-backs and travel — led to players getting injured in games.

This could be a big reason why Golden State wants to rest players more often this upcoming season. That and they also have the depth to let their players rest more so than in the past.

The downside of this is the fan experience. With the Warriors boasting one of the best super teams in NBA history, a lot of fans will want to see their full team on the road. Sadly for those fans not in Northern California, they may not get to see the full strength Warriors with ease.

[UPROXX]

About David Lauterbach

David is a writer for The Comeback. He enjoyed two Men's Basketball Final Four trips for Syracuse before graduating in 2016. If The Office or Game of Thrones is on TV, David will be watching.