By LARRY VAUGHT

Contributing Writer

I am not sure how many people really thought DeMarcus Cousins could play a significant role with Golden State this season. He had torn his Achilles in late January of 2018 while playing for New Orleans and was just starting to play again when he tore his quad in mid-April in the second game of the playoffs.

Yet he was in the starting lineup in the Finals — he had a double-double in his first start — and says he never worried about what might happen.

He doesn’t feel sorry for himself over working so hard to come back from his Achilles injury and then going down with a quad injury not long after he finally got back to playing again.

“Fairness doesn’t really play a part in this sport. Fairness doesn’t really play a part in life, honestly, but these are the cards I was dealt and all I can do is deal with it however it comes. So I’ll make the best of the situation, which I’ve tried to do,” Cousins said. “Yes, it was tough dealing with the Achilles injury and then overcoming that and then, boom, coming back with another one, but that’s just the cards I was dealt.

“I would be lying to say when it happened I wasn’t thinking to myself, why me or why now or whatever the case may be, but I’m a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. God’s got a plan for me. So I got to be patient and my turn will come around. So just got to be patient.

“I don’t take any of this for granted. I’ve seen how quick this game can be taken away from you. So every chance I get to go out there and play, I’m going to leave it on the floor.”