LeBron James ruined basketball. No, not because he’s turned the Eastern Conference into a mockery -- either you play with him in the NBA finals or you don’t -- but because of the cordial attitudes on the court.

Samantha Hoopes Wants To Play With Blake Griffin

The Cavaliers star set a dangerous precedent when he signed with the Heat in 2010. All of a sudden, playing with friends was the "thing" to do.

The hatred from the 1980s, the Rick Mahorn body checks, Charles Oakley knuckling up at a moments notice, all that has dissipated from the NBA. As if that wasn't enough, the buddy-buddy atmosphere transformed basketball into a sport softer than a mother’s touch.

Lance Stephenson Responds To Haters With Highlight Reel

Just don’t tell that to DeMarcus Cousins. There’s enough hatred in that man to balance things out.

When asked about the level of intensity in the Kings’ 111-104 loss to the Clippers on Wednesday, he made his feelings towards the opposition known (via Hoops Hype).

That face -- that look of utter disgust and disdain -- that’s what the NBA has lacked since Ron Artest went buckwild at The Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004.

The justifiable pursuit of lucrative endorsements and networking opportunities has robbed basketball of the one thing that defined it in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Fortunately for us, Cousins clearly isn’t about that life. At least someone has a clear understanding that this is still a competitive sport.

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