So imagine the thoughts that were running through Durant’s head last Tuesday night, as he waited for the results of a CT scan on his left leg to come back that would either deem his season — and hopes of lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time — over, or give him renewed hope of returning at some point.

“It was a crucial, probably 30 minutes, where I thought that I’d have to go through this long rehab to get back onto the court,” Durant said Wednesday night before Golden State took on the Boston Celtics here at Oracle Arena.

AD

AD

“And then I got a call that said it wasn’t as bad.”

That call did not end Durant’s season, but informed the superstar forward that he had been diagnosed with a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament sprain to go along with a tibial bone bruise, and that he would be reevaluated in four weeks.

In an instant, Durant’s attitude changed from despair to determination to get back onto the court as soon as possible.

“Either way, I knew it’s something I had to conquer,” Durant said. “I knew it’s something I had to work extremely hard to get back. I still do no matter what and I’ve been through it before.

“[The] reason that I’m here now is that I work extremely hard, and it’s nothing different. It’s just trying to get my knee right and get my body right, and hopefully I’ll be back to play soon.”

AD

Durant spoke for about 10 minutes Wednesday night — his first public comments since limping off the court inside Verizon Center while holding his left knee after Zaza Pachulia fell into his leg in the opening moments of an eventual loss in Washington.

AD

He came into the news conference wearing a large brace on his left leg that extended well above and below the injured knee, and he opted for a high chair at the front of the room instead of his usual chair atop the podium.

Despite the injury, Durant was in good spirits, even making a few jokes throughout his interview and downplaying the severity of the situation.

“It could be a lot worse,” he said. A lot of things could’ve happened.

AD

“I hurt my knee … a lot of guys go through this, go through a lot of injuries. It’s nothing nobody should be concerned about. I got a boo-boo playing basketball. It is what it is.

“I’m okay. My spirits are good. My family is good. I’m doing what I love to do every single day. So it’s all right.”

One thing Durant wouldn’t do, even as he was asked multiple times, was put a timeline on his return. The Warriors said he would be reevaluated in four weeks — meaning three weeks from Wednesday night — leaving open the possibility of him coming back at some point before the end of the regular season.

AD

The Warriors have privately made it clear they’re going to be extremely cautious with Durant, and with good reason, as they shouldn’t truly need him until the start of the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. The team’s coach, Steve Kerr, may have let slip a more definitive timeline during his own pregame news conference when he said he’d told Durant at some point since he suffered the injury, “six weeks go by pretty quick.”

AD

But whether Durant returns in four weeks, six weeks, eight weeks or more, he wouldn’t bite on any questions about when, exactly, he’ll be back on the court.

“I’m not going to think about that right now,” he said. “I know everybody wants to know and is wondering, but whenever my body tells me I’m ready to play, that’s when I’ll be ready to play.

“I’m not really thinking too far ahead. I had a great day today, and I’m looking forward to having a good one tomorrow.”

AD

In the meantime, Durant said he’s going to be watching games from his couch — along with TV shows, movies and playing video games — in addition to his rehabilitation program. But after missing most of the 2014-15 season with the Thunder because of three surgeries to his foot, missing a few weeks now, with the ability to return for at least the majority of the playoffs a strong possibility, has him in a far different place than in those 30 minutes he spent waiting to see if his season had come to a shocking and sudden end in his hometown.

AD

“I had three foot surgeries, and that was tough to go through because it was my first one being out, going under and getting surgery,” Durant said. “That was different.