Nicknames often take quite some time to marinate before they are ready to spring forth. That’s not the case for Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, the new twin towers of the NBA.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Cousins coined a phrase that is just perfect: “Fire and Ice.”
“We’re opposites. Got a little fire. Got a little ice,” Cousins said.
Said Davis: “He’s definitely the fire. That’s a perfect analogy.”
As we know, Cousins brings the heat. He gets so hot sometimes that he just doesn’t control himself, which has resulted in 17 technical fouls and one suspension this year already (something he joked about answering a question about his competitiveness).
“I’m the ultimate competitor,” Cousins said, per Spears. “It’s the smallest things. Even being in the gym first. I’m all about competing and I want to compete at the highest level … It doesn’t matter if it’s the Lakers or if it’s the Warriors, I’m coming out to compete.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Davis is about as cool as the other side of the pillow.
“I’m more like relaxed and he’s more like … He’s DeMarcus. Maybe when he’s on the floor, I can get, like, hyped up. Or situations come around that I need to be like, ‘All right, calm down.’ But it’s kind of like what we need. Kind of like a perfect balance,” Davis said.
Time will tell if Cousins and Davis really do mesh to create “a perfect balance,” as Davis puts it.
There is no better time than now to put it to the test, however, as New Orleans is still on the outside looking in on the Western Conference playoff race. Heading into the unofficial second half of the season, the Pelicans are 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for the No. 8 seed in the west.
Hopefully for Pelicans fans, “Fire and Ice” can make sweet music on the court together this spring and help their team make a postseason run.