Golden State Warriors: DeMarcus Cousins signing finally paid off

The Golden State Warriors are relieved to see the signing of DeMarcus Cousins is finally paying off.

Signing DeMarcus Cousins last summer was a major risk. There is a reason no other team outside of the Golden State Warriors offered Cousins a contract. Due to his persistent work ethic, Cousins has risen above his negatives and shown up big time when the Warriors needed him most.

From the moment Cousins fell with an Achilles injury, the entire NBA world knew he would never be the same player. This devastating injury had already claimed too many legends for us to assume otherwise.

Still, the Dubs continued to have faith in Cousins. Even after he returned to the floor and was noticeably slower and less effective, the Dubs backed him up every chance they had. When he once again fell with an injury in the first round of the postseason, the Warriors didn’t give up hope.

Cousins had proven enough to the league. As a four-time All-Star and arguably the best center in the league before the injury, the Warriors had too much faith in him to rule him out. This is why when he returned in the NBA Finals and earned a starting position in Game 2, Cousins knew it was time to finally return the favor for Golden State.

After a slow start, Cousins began to have a huge impact on the game. He was making plays out of the high post and knocking down enough shots to keep the pressure on the defense. His gigantic body helped clog the paint and slow down the Toronto Raptors while he was relentlessly attacking the glass.

The Dubs had trailed by double digits early in the game, but all of a sudden, as Cousins continued to plug away, the Warriors were in the lead. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Cousins had posted 11 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 blocks.

He played far more minutes than he expected to. Originally, Cousins was supposed to take a conservative role and play limited minutes as he still wasn’t in full game shape and recovering from his injury. However, when Kevon Looney headed to the locker room, leaving the Dubs short-handed, Cousins became the Warriors only option.

Visibly exhausted and laboring up and down the court, Cousins put up one of his most heroic performances. His stats will never do this game justice for Cousins but without him, the Dubs would be facing an 0-2 deficit.