DeMarcus Cousins is a new hero in the Warriors’ dynasty

When did you write off DeMarcus Cousins, Dub Nation? For some folks it was the day he signed with the Warriors, when they saw him as damaged goods with a surly attitude. For others, it was his first few games back from a near career ending Achilles injury, when he lumbered around the court like an old circus bear in his last days.

When he showed a flash of his old self and bashed Clint Capela for 27-8-7 in Houston during March, it was a jolting reminder to Planet Basketball of Cousins’ true powers. And then bam, he blew his quad out in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers.

I grieved for him as only a fan can, as I thought he was done after that terrible injury. Yet at the time, it seemed mostly a sentimental loss as the Warriors had already won plenty of basketball games without him. They could just revert to their Hamptons 5 death lineup and finish their affectionate quest to “Win One For Boogie”.

But as the brutal grinder that is the playoffs wore on and Golden State’s heroes kept dropping like flies, Cousins’ unexpected return in the Finals brought hope to the Bay.

After a rusty eight minutes off of the bench in a Game 1 loss in Toronto, the big man texted his teammates a simple message: “trust me”.

Per Tim Kawakami of the Athletic:

“He texted me after Game 1,” Draymond Green told The Athletic late Sunday. “He said, ‘Yo, I’ve been waiting on this moment. I’m ready for the moment. You gotta trust me.’ Well, Coach showed he trusted him and we all trusted him and he played big for us.”

As the Warriors dug their way out of a double-deficit against the beast from the East in raucous Toronto, Cousins was front and (no pun intended) center.

Cousins reflected after the game about the moment, via Matt Schneidman of the Mercury News:

“I want to be on this stage,” Cousins said. “This is what I’ve worked for my entire career, to be on this stage, to have this opportunity to play for something. Once they told me I had a chance, a slight chance of being able to return, it basically was up to me. The work and the time I put in behind the injury, it was up to me.

“So I put the work in and the time in and with God’s grace I’m able to be out here and play the game that I love.”

Instead of the Warriors winning one for “The Gipper”, the big fella dramatically returned to secure a 1-1 tie heading back to Oakland. With Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney ailing, it’s awful nice to have a giant who can take over the game in so many ways, ain’t it Dub Nation?