Cousins knows Durant’s pain.
When Kevin Durant went down in Game 5 with a torn Achilles tendon, DeMarcus Cousins felt acute sympathetic pain. He knew exactly what the pain was like.
“When I saw K, saw the emotion in his face, I knew the feeling,” the Warriors’ center said. “I was the same exact way. It’s a very unfortunate situation.”
In January 2018, Cousins had put together a triple-double when he tore his left Achilles in the final seconds of a New Orleans win over Houston. He soon underwent season-ending surgery.
He didn’t return to action until nearly a year later, with the Warriors. Just as when Cousins got hurt, Durant could become a free agent during his rehabilitation.
Cousins said he has spoken with Durant since the injury, but wouldn’t disclose specifics. As for when he would give his teammate any advice regarding rehab or free agency, he said, “We’re nowhere near close for that. We spoke. You give him his space. You let him go through his ups and downs of emotions. I feel like I’ll reach out when it’s the right time, or let him reach out when he feels it’s the right time.
“It’s a tough process, straight up. Nobody understands that type of an injury unless you go through it yourself. It’s more mental than anything, for sure.”
Now Cousins has to produce in Durant’s absence if the Warriors are going to win Thursday night and send the series back to Toronto for Game 7.
Asked how his role will change, he said, “I’m not really sure. I just need to make sure I’m ready when my name’s called upon.”
Cousins was just as circumspect when asked whether he’s close to 100 percent physically — he tore a quadriceps in the second game of the Warriors’ playoff run and didn’t come back until the Finals.
In the three losses to Toronto, he has averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes. In the two wins, he has averaged 12.5 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes.
Asked how he thought he has played overall in the Finals, he told reporters, “I leave that up to y’all.”
It’s clear what the Warriors need in Game 6 and a possible Game 7: not necessarily the kind of spectacular performances that the four-time All-Star has summoned in the past, but double-figure scoring, powerful rebounding and strong (and legal) screens for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
“He’ll be counted on for scoring and rebounding and paint presence — and facilitating for others,” said assistant coach Jarron Collins, who handles the team’s big men. “In the games we’ve won, he’s been huge. He hasn’t been able to get into a flow or a rhythm in the games that we’ve lost.”
As if the Warriors don’t have enough motivation as they pursue a fourth title in five years and are about to play their final game in Oracle Arena, they now have their own possible win-one-for-theGipper moment.
“Obviously, we’ve got one more thing to kind of motivate us,” Cousins said. “We want to come out and try to win this thing for K.
“I’m sure the fans will be fully engaged. There’s going to be a lot of emotions and a lot of passion in the building. It’s going to be an epic night, for sure.”
He hopes the Warriors can break the strange pattern in the series — the visiting team has won four straight.
“It’s been pretty weird,” Cousins said. “It’s usually tougher to win on the road. Usually you play better at home. It’s not really been the case for either team. Hopefully, we change that” Thursday.
His team’s approach for the rest of the series, he said, has got to be: “Lock in even more. We understand the void we have to fill. The next guy has to step up, which has been done and which has been done numerous times throughout this playoff run. So we expect the same thing.”