When Larry Bird Came to His First Practice with the Boston Celtics, Cedric Maxwell, an Established NBA Player, Was Looking Forward to Guarding This Much Touted Rookie Who Was Being Called the Great White Hope. After Practice, Maxwell exclaimed to a teammate, “That D#*n White Guy Can Play!”
In an interview with Chris Ryan, Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell, who won two NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics and is now a game analyst on Celtic radio broadcasts which can be heard on WKXL, opened up about a number of topics: whether the NBA season can be resumed this summer during the COVID-19 pandemic; what it was like playing with Larry Bird and the great Celtic teams of the 1980s; and how would the 1984 Championship Celtics play a current team like the Golden State Warriors.
Chris and Cedric discussed the various schemes that are being considered to resume the NBA playoffs in some fashion. There are so many health concerns involving players and fans that will make it difficult to resume competition in many sports.
While discussing his career with the Celtics, Cedric Maxwell explained how Larry Bird was a “game changer” his skill and high basketball IQ made his teammates better, especially how he and Larry complimented each other’s talents on the court. Maxwell thinks that Larry Bird would thrive in today’s less physical NBA game. Another topic which was discussed were the great rivalries of that era, such as the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Max and Chris had a great back and forth about a hypothetical game between the 1984 Celtics and the Golden State Warriors. They explored the possible adjustments, strategies and matchups which the Celtics would have to use.
The last segment was a discussion of who is the best basketball player of all time. Is it Michael Jordan or Lebron James or someone else—Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? The interview ended with a discussion of which four athletes would you put on your Sports Mount Rushmore?
