NBA Playoffs 2019: Golden State Warriors' Kevin Durant initially feared his injury was much worse

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Kevin Durant

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant missed the entire Western Conference Finals series against the Portland Trail Blazers with a calf strain and is likely to miss the beginning of the NBA Finals.

MORE: How Draymond Green elevates the Warriors with or without Kevin Durant

Durant went down in Game 5 of their second-round series against the Houston Rockets, initially fearing the worst along with many watching that he might have torn his Achilles, given the non-contact nature of the injury. 

In those seconds after the injury, Durant's fears were put aside once he was able to put some weight on it, he told reporters today. 

"I saw the clip and, I mean, Reggie Miller was screaming, 'That's his Achilles! That's his Achilles!' Obviously, everybody is going to be a little nervous," Durant said.

"I knew how I felt once I came down from the shot. I pushed off to run back down the court and I felt like somebody tripped me up. I looked back and the first thing that came to my mind was Boogie [Cousins] said, Kobe [Bryant] said, Dominique Wilkins said it felt like somebody kicked them.

"That's the first thing that came to my mind so I said let me slow down to process what's going on. Then I started walking and I realised that I can put some weight on it and it's not as bad as I thought."

Durant was later diagnosed with a right calf strain and has not played since, however the Warriors are "hopeful" he will return at some point during The Finals, announcing this week that he is making "good progress" as he edges closer to returning to on-court activities.

"I'm just taking it a second at a time," Durant added. "I don't really know too much about this injury. I'm just leaving it up to the team doctors."

Prior to his injury, Durant had been playing some of the best basketball of his career, averaging 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 11 playoff games.

The Warriors will await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals, with the Toronto Raptors currently leading the Milwaukee Bucks 3-2.

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Benyam Kidane Photo

Benyam Kidane is a senior NBA editor for The Sporting News.