When Golden State Warriors big man DeMarcus Cousins injured his quad during the Warriors' first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, it looked like his postseason was over.
But Cousins has had a miraculous recovery from the injury and actually played in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Cousins didn't make much of an impact in the opener, which ended up being a 118-109 Warriors loss. But in Game 2 on Sunday night, Cousins was huge, posting 11 points, 10 rebounds and six assists over 28 minutes in a pivotal 109-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors that evened the series at one game apiece.
Afterward, Cousins savored the moment while also not living in it too much:
“It feels great,” Cousins said, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I've leaned on my teammates throughout this moment and throughout this whole process, and this was an incredible moment for me. But I'm not satisfied, and I'm looking forward to Game 3.”




It has been one heck of a ride for Cousins, who tore his Achilles in January 2018 while playing for the New Orleans Pelicans and received very limited interest on the free-agent market as a result.
He ended up signing a one-year deal with the Warriors in order to rehab his injury and compete for a title, and this past January, he finally returned:
“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.”
Game 3 is on Wednesday night.