HOUSTON -- IT'S LATE on a muggy October night, and Kevin Durant refuses to come to grips with reality while heading for the exit at the Toyota Center on the heels of his Rockets preseason debut, a 140-127 win over the Utah Jazz .

Entering his 19th season, Durant has won MVP, two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards to go with four Olympic gold medals and 15 trips to the NBA All-Star Game. Yet at this stage of his career, Durant doggedly pursues a goal he'll never achieve.

Perfection.

"What you mean I never will?" Durant asks, half smiling.

Since Durant won his second ring with the Golden State Warriors in 2018, he has had stints with the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns that came to unceremonious exits. Six seasons later, Durant finds himself in what might be his best -

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