Mike Cameron regrets how last year ended, but he refuses to forget it.

His 30 homers couldn’t mask the disappointment of playing hurt and losing.

“It was a good thing for me to experience what I experienced last year,” Cameron said.

Cameron’s ridiculously good start to this season continued yesterday with a first-inning, opposite-field solo homer that started the scoring in the Mets’ 5-1 win over the Giants.

In Cameron’s 98 at-bats since coming off the disabled list in early May, he has batted .347 with six homers and 12 RBIs.

Cameron doesn’t own a new batting stance or a new physique. He is just fully healthy – both physically and mentally.

His left wrist was repaired in December, which forced him to begin the season on the disabled list. His nerves were eased with the spotlight having shifted to Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran.

“Last year was a struggle,” said the 32-year-old Cameron, who was the Mets’ big free-agent signing before last season. “I played a lot of games hurt. I played a lot of games mentally exhausted. It was tough. It is tough to struggle and be one of the spotlight-type of people. It was a learning experience. I got a year older, a year wiser.”

Cameron’s best friend on the team, Cliff Floyd, has noticed. When Cameron shifted to right amid trade talks, Floyd thought his buddy handled it well. When some fans prematurely called for Victor Diaz to permanently replace Cameron in right, Floyd saw that his pal didn’t budge.

“He came in and got his feet wet with the city, seeing how things go on around here and now is able to relax and enjoy himself,” Floyd said. “And we are winning. Things help.

“A lot of what happens when you are not playing well and the team is struggling – just because you have pride and you feel like that every time something happens – you have to get it done. You have to be the one.”