When Kevin Durant was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, he feared he would never return to his superstar form.

"This is career-ending, I'm done," Durant recalled thinking.

"That's what I was thinking," he told ESPN, "because that's all I was hearing, that this s--- is over."

Durant signed with the Brooklyn Nets that offseason, sat out the entire 19-20 season and then reestablished himself as one of the world's best players during the 2021 playoffs.

Durant played 75 games in the regular season this past season and was generally more reliable than his younger co-stars in Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

"My whole being has been committed to playing basketball. I didn't think it was time yet. It's that simple," Durant said. "And when I'm that committed to something, I didn't even think about anything else but, like, when are we starting recovery? As soon as it happened, everybody wanted to cry with me. I did that for a second, crying, because everybody else was crying, and then I'm like, 'When are we doing surgery? When can I start my recovery process?' And that's how it was, man. I'm ready to get back, quick."

Durant's return was not just fueled by his love for the game, but something existential.

"I think all these guys love it," he said. "It just feels like life or death for me since day one growing up. If I wasn't doing this, what the f--- else am I doing? Until the wheels fall off. I can't just not be the best basketball player that I can be every day. That's been the mentality in my head since I was 8 years old.

"I had no other choice but to go back to work. I wasn't going to go back and be like, 'Mom, Dad, Bro, Sis, Godfather -- all my whole family that has been trusting in me and believing in me that I'm living for and I'm pushing this family name for every day -- [and say] 'I'm done, I tore my Achilles.' Like, what the f--- you mean? You're done? You can't be done."

Grayson Allen aggravated his sprained right ankle in Game 2 of the Phoenix Suns' 105-93 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third quarter and did not return to the game.

X-rays on the ankle returned negative, with Frank Vogel adding that Allen was day-to-day.

Allen initially injured the ankle in Game 1.

The Suns are down 2-0 in the series. 

Host Danny Leroux and Seth Partnow of The Athletic preview the NBA playoffs.

They break down which series they are most excited for, which are the toughest to call, key match-ups and much more.

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed. 

Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young will become the next head coach of Brigham Young University.

Young is the highest paid assistant coach in the NBA and was a candidate for multiple jobs during the past hiring cycles. Young interviewed for the Charlotte Hornets and Brooklyn Nets already this offseason.

Young will replace Mark Pope, who left BYU to become head coach of Kentucky.

Young will continue working with the Suns in the playoffs, but will begin assembling a coaching staff that'll immediately start recruiting for BYU.

Young is a native of Salt Lake City.

Kevin Durant played nearly 2800 minutes over 75 games this season. The minutes were the most Durant has played since he led the NBA in 2013-14. The games played were Durant's most since the 2018-19 season. The Phoenix Suns star thinks he knows why he was able to stay healthy this year.

"No players flopped into my legs this year," Durant said. "Last two years, I had my teammate flop into me and an opponent flop into me two straight years that caused me to get MCL injuries. If it wasn’t for that, I probably would’ve been out there the same amount of games, but I’m glad nobody flopped into me. Had a couple of nagging injuries, but it was day-to-day type of stuff. I’m grateful for that."

When asked how he avoided players flopping into him, Durant was brutally honest in his response.

"Just stay away from the crash dummies, you know. The dudes who try to sell calls and don’t mind hurting people by diving on the floor trying to sell a call. I know who those guys are, and I try to stay away from them," Durant said.

The Phoenix Suns and guard Grayson Allen have agreed to a four-year, $70 million extension. Allen was eligible to extend through June 30, as he was on an expiring contract. Phoenix now locks in a key rotation player, who was a crucial part of the Suns three-guard starting lineup.

Allen led the NBA in three-point percentage at a career-high 46.1% on 5.9 three-point attempts per game. He also averaged 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Overall, Allen shot 49.9% from the field and 87.8% from the free throw line, falling just shy of a 50/40/90 shooting season.

Phoenix acquired Allen in the three-team trade with the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers that sent Deandre Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Damian Lillard to Milwaukee. The Suns also acquired Jusuf Nurkic and Nassir Little in that deal.

The Western Conference seeds are set following the end of regular season on Sunday. The first round begins on Saturday, April 20th.

First Round Matchups

• No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 8 (Pelicans, Lakers, Kings or Warriors)

• No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 (Pelicans or Lakers)

• No. 3 Minnesota Timberwolves vs. No. 6 Phoenix Suns

• No. 4 LA Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

Play-In

• No. 7 New Orleans Pelicans vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Lakers

• No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs. No. 10 Golden State Warriors

The Phoenix Suns weren't ready to play to start their home game against the LA Clippers on Tuesday. Despite it being a must-win for the Suns for seeding purposes, they fell behind by a 37-10 margin after the first quarter.

The Suns rallied to get back into the game in the second half. Phoenix coach Frank Vogel didn't want to get into what he said to rally his team at halftime, but he did admit his team's frustration level isn't in a good place.

"It's high. But we're manning together, and we're connected, and confident," Vogel said before saying his team is still together.

Suns guard Devin Booker said his team wasn't ready to play, while the Clippers were.

“[They] just came in there ready to play, and we weren’t," Booker said before saying Phoenix is "Chillin'" as far as being frustrated as a team.

The Phoenix Suns will sign Isaiah Thomas to a contract for the remainder of the season.

Thomas recently completed two 10-day contracts with the Suns.

Thomas most recently played 22 games during the 21-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets have received permission to interview multiple current assistant coaches for their head coaching vacancy. The Hornets are looking for a replacement at head coach for Steve Clifford. 

• David Adelman, Denver Nuggets

• Jordi Fernandez, Sacramento Kings

• Charles Lee, Boston Celtics

• Kevin Young, Phoenix Suns