DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Warriors for this NBA Finals moment

Jordan Greer

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DeMarcus Cousins signed with the Warriors for this NBA Finals moment image

When DeMarcus Cousins agreed to a one-year, $5.3 million deal with the Warriors last summer, there was a lot of hand-wringing about Golden State having a starting lineup of five All-Stars.

However, with Cousins coming off a brutal Achilles injury and little data to predict how a player of his size (6-11, 270 pounds) might recover, the instant anger overshadowed the reality of Cousins' situation.

Cousins didn't play in a regular-season game until Jan. 18, and he only logged 30 appearances before the 2019 NBA playoffs. And then, when Cousins finally reached the postseason for the first time in his career, he suffered a non-contact quad injury in Game 2 of the Warriors' first-round series against the Clippers. It seemed the grand Cousins experiment had come to an early end.

MORE: Takeaways from Warriors' Game 2 win over Raptors

But the two-time All-NBA center somehow worked his way back onto the floor for the NBA Finals. He unsurprisingly struggled to adapt to the speed and intensity of the Raptors in Game 1, but the Warriors needed him more than ever in Game 2 on Sunday night, a 109-104 Golden State win that evened the series at one game apiece.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr removed Jordan Bell from the starting group and inserted Cousins at center. In his postgame press conference, Kerr said he expected Cousins to play "maybe 20 minutes." Cousins logged 28 minutes and was a major reason why the Warriors survived despite losing Klay Thompson (hamstring tightness) and Kevon Looney (chest bruise) to injuries.

Cousins in 2019 NBA Finals Game 1 Game 2
Minutes 8 28
Points 3 11
FG-FGA 0-2 3-8
Rebounds 0 10
Assists 2 6
Blocks 0 2
Plus-Minus -1 +12

"[Cousins] was fantastic, and we needed everything he gave out there," Kerr said. "His rebounding, his toughness, his physical presence, getting the ball in the paint, and just playing big, like he does. We needed all of that."

As his numbers indicate, Cousins impacted the game in a variety of ways. He took his shot when it was available.

His passing added another dimension to the Warriors' offense.

And while Cousins' lack of mobility has created problems defensively in previous outings, he gave plenty of effort on that end and didn't break after the Raptors repeatedly attacked him in the pick-and-roll in the first half.

From 2010 to 2017, Cousins was the lone source of consistent production for a Kings team that never won more than 33 games during the regular season, and there were always questions about whether it was Cousins or the Kings keeping Sacramento at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The Kings traded Cousins to the Pelicans at the 2017 trade deadline, and when New Orleans looked to be heading to the playoffs the next season, Cousins went down with that torn Achilles.

He knows better than anyone how rare these opportunities are. When Kerr called his number, he wasn't overwhelmed by the moment — it was exactly what he had always wanted.

"I've seen how quick this game can be taken away from you," Cousins said. "So every chance I get to go out there and play, I'm going to leave it on the floor."

For Cousins, signing with the Warriors was a shrewd move that allowed him to go through the rehab process without feeling any pressure to return before he had fully recovered. It gave him a chance to build up his value and prove he should be a target for multiple teams in free agency.

But Golden State also presented Cousins with a chance the vast majority of NBA players never get — a chance to contribute to a championship team.

Jordan Greer

Jordan Greer Photo

Jordan Greer has been with The Sporting News since 2015. He previously worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He is a graduate of Westminster College and Syracuse University.