Stephen Curry Says Chris Paul Taught Him How to Prepare, Handle Himself Like Pro

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry said Friday that Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul was a "great mentor" while he was learning how to handle himself at the professional level.

Chris Haynes of ESPN.com provided comments from the two-time NBA MVP ahead of the teams' clash in the Western Conference Finals starting Monday night at Toyota Center in Houston.

"He was a great mentor when it came to understanding how a guy on his level prepared over the summer for an NBA season," Curry said. "How disciplined he was, his work ethic, and I got to see that firsthand after summer league through the beginning of the season. And obviously we got a Carolina connection."

Although the guards haven't remained tight-knit friends throughout their respective careers, Curry still remembers the impact spending time with Paul had on him in the beginning, per Haynes.

"He demonstrated firsthand what it takes to be great in this league, and it was a nice little eye-opener for me that summer," the Warriors superstar said. "Work out with him, compete against him and take that confidence I had into my rookie year [to] get off on a good foot."

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Their head-to-head battle will likely go a long way in deciding which team represents the West in the NBA Finals.

Paul led all point guards in ESPN's Real Plus-Minus during the regular season. Curry ranked third. The only player between them was Paul's teammate James Harden, with whom he shares ball-handling duties.

Meanwhile, Paul averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 assists, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals in three games against Golden State this season. Curry put up 23.3 points, 5.7 dimes, 5.0 boards and 1.3 swipes per game in those contests. Houston won the regular-season series 2-1.

It helps set the stage for what should be an extended battle for the West title over the next few weeks.