About 2500 words into New Old Thing tonight, and it's hit that magic spot where I see the ending, and what awaits. This one's a bit of a surprise now, in perspective and viewpoint. And I think I understand now a bit more about some other perspective shifts in other stories, how writers got to where they were with certain characters that might not have otherwise been the "standard" protagonist.

I'm not being coy. I just don't quite trust my ability to be analytic about my own stories. Certainly not while I'm in the middle of writing the thing! There's a time and space for that, but to try it in the doing is, for me at this time and place, courting throwing the thing away for stale bread.

Nope.

On another front. (NBA/basketball/sports argument, all for fun, so if you're not interested now's the time to turn away don't get caught it's a trap!!!)

All right Boston Sports Guy (link here), if you can call yourself that, how on earth, in a universe where

Bill Russell has eleven championships, one of those as both player and coach simultaneously

Kareem Abdul-Jabar is the career points leader, and has never been seriously threatened. (Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant are 2 and 3)

John Stockton is the all-time steals leader (Jason Kidd is 2, Jordan is 3)

John Stockton is the all-time assists leader (Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are 2 and 3)

Wilt Chamberlain is the all-time rebounds leader (Russell and Kareem are 2 and 3 respectively)

Hakeem Olajuwon is the all-time blocks leader (Dikembe and Kareem 2 and 3)

can you possibly consider Michael Jordan the greatest player of all time? It's not even up for discussion. He's behind Karl Malone and Kobe Bryant for points? Much less Kareem at number one who he never even threatened. (Seriously, it's not even close, and Jordan was a scorer!)

And you can't even point to individual games, where Jordan doesn't crack the top ten in highest scoring games (seriously, for points in a single game, there's Wilt and then there's nobody else. It's not even close.)

Same thing with rebounds. Really? There's Russell, there's Wilt, there's Malone, there's Hakeem, oh come on what's the point.

He's behind Stockton in steals and assists.

Now, Jordan as greatest player of his era? Maybe, but I've got Hakeem ahead of him (so, I'm from Houston go away), plus Jordan was in the league at basically the same time as Magic Johnson, and no way on earth is Michael ahead of Magic, not in my book. Magic is a different player all together.

Besides, I remember well when they quit calling travelling on Michael. That's when he went from interesting rookie to winning the scoring title every year that he wanted to.

But then, failing to call a rule against you makes you a better player? Uh-huh.

They invented rules to try and stop Wilt. You know, the guy who decided to go for 100 points, won the assists title as a center, retired to play pro beach volleyball and play the heavy in Conan the Destroyer?

But really, you're from Boston and you don't consider Bill Russell the best ever? Titles at every level he played, 11 in the NBA, oh and one of them as player-coach? Yeah, no, not feeling it. Jordan's maybe in a universe where Wilt just laughs when you claim Jordan's better.

Russell's in the next universe over, just smiling at all of it.

And somehow I doubt Bill Russell would ever have let David Stern run him out of the league... twice.

And as much as I love Lebron, it's the same argument. Only, there's no real question that Lebron is the best player of his era. That one, I'll not only grant you but I'll stand up and cheer him on.