Cedric Maxwell was an underrated member of the Boston Celtics in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Drafted by Boston with the 12th overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, Maxwell played eight seasons with the Celtics and won two championships on some pretty stacked teams.
Maxwell was named the MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals on a team that included Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. He then led the Celtics with 24 points in Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the rival Los Angeles Lakers after telling his teammates to jump on his back. Despite playing eight of his 11 seasons in Boston, Maxwell recently said the best player he ever played with wasn’t even a Celtic.
Cedric Maxwell Put Up Some Big Numbers Early in His Career
On May 13, 1981, the Celtics won their 14th NBA championship with a Game 6 win over the Houston Rockets. Cedric Maxwell was named series MVP 🏆
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After a rookie year in which he averaged 7.3 points, Maxwell exploded in his second NBA season. He put up 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds and left the league in field-goal percentage at 58.4%.
The following year, Bird’s rookie season, Maxwell saw his numbers decline a bit as Bird won Rookie of the Year and helped turn the Celtics into an NBA-best 61-win team after finishing with 29 victories the previous season. Maxwell still managed to average 16.9 points and 8.8 rebounds. He also led the league in field-goal percentage again at 60.9%.
The Celtics won the first of their three championships of the decade when they topped the Houston Rockets in the 1981 NBA Finals. In that championship series, Maxwell averaged 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds.
The Celtics traded Maxwell for veteran center Bill Walton before the 1985-86 season. Maxwell went on to play for the Clippers and the Houston Rockets.
In a physical series with the Lakers in the ’84 Finals, Maxwell got redemption after a dirty play by James Worthy in Game 6. Worthy pushed Maxwell from behind while Max headed in for a layup. The play was apparently in retaliation for a Game 4 foul when Boston’s Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis.
“In Game 6 out in LA, I’m going in for a layup, and James Worthy does a cardinal sin that you never do,” Maxwell said on a video posted by NBA History & Legends on CLNS. “I remember walking out, thinking, ‘I’m gonna get his ass. I’m gonna get him. “
“It was in the locker room and Larry was in there and ML (Carr), and everybody was sitting there talking and I said, ‘Don’t you worry. Y’all ain’t got to worry. Y’all get on my back. I’m gonna win this damn championship for you.’”
Maxwell Said Hakeem Olajuwon Is the Best Player He’s Ever Played With
Maxwell played with some of the biggest names in NBA history as a member of the Celtics. Shockingly, he said it wasn’t Bird or any other Boston star who was the best player he’s teamed up with.
During an appearance on the “Showtime With Coop” podcast hosted by former Lakers guard Michael Cooper, Maxwell broke that news.
“The best player that I ever played with would have been Hakeem Olajuwon,” Maxwell said. “I go with Olajuwon because Olajuwon controlled more of the game than anybody in the history of the NBA. He was not only great offensively, but for those years, Coop, he was a beast defensively.
“Olajuwon controlled the game defensively and offensively like nobody has ever done.”
