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DeMarcus Cousins could return to the Golden State Warriors during the upcoming Western Conference Finals, which begin on Tuesday.
The news comes from Marc Stein of The New York Times, who not only reports that Boogie could return in this series, but that he is “on course to.”
Another reward for the victorious Warriors: League sources say that DeMarcus Cousins -- if he maintains his recent progress from a torn quad -- is on course to make a return to the Warriors' active roster during the Western Conference finals
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) May 11, 2019
Cousins has not played since Game 2 of the first round, which was back on April 15. In that game the four-time All-Star ruptured his quad in a non-contact injury.
While the Warriors always maintained that Cousins could return to the court at some point during the playoffs, it was always seen as a long shot that would occur in the NBA Finals. If Boogie makes it back for the Conference Finals, he’ll not only be way ahead of schedule, but it will be a sign that he’s in good shape, and actually ready and able to contribute.
Needless to say, that would be huge.
But it’s not just anonymous reports that say Cousins is close. After Friday’s thrilling Game 6 victory over the Houston Rockets, Andre Iguodala admitted that the star center should be back on the court soon.
Andre Iguodala always tells the truth: "DeMarcus is close, and Kevin isn't too far away. We've just got to hold down the fort."
— Rusty Simmons (@Rusty_SFChron) May 11, 2019
It would’ve been hard to believe just a few days ago. When Kevin Durant suffered his injury in Game 5, and the Warriors lead dissipated, the season hung in the balance.
Now they’re headed for a few days of rest, then a Conference Finals against a team (either the Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers) that is not as good as the Rockets, and the reinforcements are coming.
This is good. This is very good.