#Kevin Durant is as close to perfect as sports has right now

He may never be the most likeable of our athletes, and that’s just something we’re going to have to get used to. If we were building the perfect basketball player, perhaps we’d include a dash more humility and a willingness to walk away from feuds.

Everything else though?

If you’re building a perfect basketball player, right now, it is going to look an awful lot like Kevin Durant.

Right now there is Durant, and there is everyone else. It was easy a few weeks ago to wonder if maybe Giannis Antetokounmpo hadn’t superseded everyone after that NBA Finals he turned in, after leading the Bucks to their first title in 50 years, after that Game 6 for the ages against the Suns.

There is always LeBron James, lurking, loitering, eager to be a part of any conversation like this one.

But then you watch what Durant did these past two weeks at the Tokyo Olympics, how he not only led the U.S. men’s basketball team to a fourth straight gold medal, but also made it look as effortless as breathing. All due respect to all the great ones, but we may never have seen anyone for whom basketball looks as easy as Durant. It is mesmerizing to watch.

And it is worth remembering that if Durant had simply kept his foot a few inches behind a 3-point line, we might be celebrating one of the most remarkable 1-2 basketball feats ever. The Bucks’ Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton did the Finals-Olympics daily double, and both made key contributions to both teams.

Neither of them is Durant. Neither of them had the Olympic tournament Durant did, and neither of them have ever turned in two games like the ones Durant played against Milwaukee in Games 5 and 7 of the Eastern semifinals. It is worth recalling, again, just how spectacular those games were:

Game 5: 49 points, 16-for-23 shooting, 4-for-9 from 3, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, two blocks.

Game 7: 48 points, 17-for-36 shooting, nine rebounds, six assists, one game-tying basket at the buzzer in regulation.

That was a few millimeters from being a game-winning shot, one they’d be talking about until the end of days.

Oh, and by the way?

Durant also signed a four-year, $198 extension with the Nets on Thursday, meaning he’s probably going to finish his career in Brooklyn, meaning the one mission he has left is to bring New York City its first NBA title since 1973. Oh, and he also set the all-time Olympic points record this week. Oh, and he scored 29 in the gold-clincher against France, after scoring 30 in each of the two prior gold medal games, 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio.

How was your week?

Durant doesn’t have Giannis’ personality or his inner gift for making others around him feel better, even if he hinted that he might a few years ago when he won that first MVP trophy and spoke so eloquently to, and about, his mother. He should be able to let slights go. He should be able to let social media beefs go.

In the minutes after winning gold, he shouldn’t be looking to settle scores with people who — fairly — wondered if the basketball team hadn’t gotten itself into a jam, losing those two friendlies before the Olympics to Australia and Nigeria, then losing its opener to France in the Games. He should be able to let those things go.

But nobody’s perfect.

Durant is simply as close to perfect right now as the sport allows. He is as remarkable to watch as anyone on the planet right now. And he does his best work in Brooklyn, in front of New York City. Maybe we will start to appreciate that soon, most of all. If he isn’t easy to embrace he ought to be easy to root for. Because he really is something to see.

Vac’s Whack

I’m pretty sure Javy Baez might be called for a swinging strike from the on-deck circle if the umpires were paying close enough attention.

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Said good-bye to three folks the past few weeks who not only made the world a lot better for having been here, but my corner of the world that much brighter. Godspeed to Maurice Sherman, Gale Mauch and Eileen Sabini.

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Nothing but positive thoughts and vibes to ex-Met Howard Johnson’s 2-year-old grandson, Tanner, who suffered damage to his left foot in a terrible lawnmower accident. HoJo’s teammates and fans have stepped up for Tanner, helping to defray his medical bills.

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It was a lot more fun watching the Red Sox nosedive like this in the years and decades before 2004, you know?

Whack Back at Vac

Peter Drago: I have followed the Mets’ magic act faithfully for the past 90 days, but, alas, someone has pulled back the curtain. It’s not a pretty sight. A starting rotation of five-inning pitchers, an overworked bullpen and hitters who have no idea what RISP even means. I’m afraid it will be the Phillies the rest of the way.

Vac: I know it’s a long season, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in which the narratives surrounding the two teams have both jumped 180 degrees like this one.

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John Kelsey: In the 1960s I was lucky to see Earl Monroe at Winston-Salem State play 10 or 12 games his senior year. What an experience! I hope he is still well.

Vac: Now THAT is a trip on the way-back machine I would reserve a ticket for.

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@geebington: Fire Rojas now!

@MikeVacc: There is a certain balance to the universe whose laws dictate one New York coach or manager must be on the griddle every single day. It’s Luis Rojas’ turn.

Michael Diamond: I have a feeling the only resemblance to the “splendid days in Knicks history” seen from Kemba Walker will be limping onto the court Willis Reed-like but without the same result or effect.

Vac: Sometimes it’s best to simply not rebut an argument you know may be true.