In a recent interview, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked about his team’s success and the famous Showtime era of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The “basketball books” is a book by Cedric Maxwell that discusses the Golden State Warriors and compares them to the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers.
Cedric Maxwell is a man who always says what he thinks. The former Boston Celtics player and current radio commentator recently detailed why he thinks the Celtics can beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals in 2022.
Maxwell remarked before Game 1 that he “definitely” believed the Celtics could win the Warriors, who came into the series as the favorite. He clarified his position by referring to the Warriors as “tuxedo players.” He also likened Golden State to the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers. That’s not a good thing in this scenario.
With the Boston Celtics, Cedric Maxwell delivered when it mattered most.
Before the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals at American Airlines Arena on Sunday, May 1, 2011, Boston Celtics point player Rajon Rondo and Celtics radio analyst Cedric Maxwell exchange fists. | Getty Images/Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald
There was Maxwell before Boston’s Big Three of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish. Yes, Maxwell was a member of the Big Three, but when McHale and Parish came from the Golden State Warriors as part of a massive transaction, Maxwell sacrificed his stats.
Maxwell averaged 19.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in his second NBA season, two years before the big contract. The next season, he scored 16.9 points and grabbed 8.8 rebounds while playing alongside Bird, a rookie from Indiana State. Maxwell topped the NBA in field-goal percentage for those two seasons.
Maxwell’s stats decreased marginally with the additions of McHale and Parish. With three future Hall of Famers touching the ball, it’s only inevitable that scoring and rebounding figures would be spread apart.
The Celtics dominated their first season with McHale and Parish on the lineup, reaching the NBA Finals in 1981. That’s when Max stepped up to the plate. During the six-game series against the Houston Rockets, Maxwell led the club in scoring. In rebounding, he came in second to Bird.
Maxwell had game-highs in points (28) and rebounds (15) in a decisive 109-80 win with the series level at two games apiece. In the 1981 NBA Finals, he was selected MVP.
The clubs met in a do-or-die Game 7 in 1984 against the feared Los Angeles Lakers. Maxwell informed his teammates before the game that if they got on his back, he’d carry them to victory. He delivered on his promise, scoring a game-high 24 points and grabbing eight rebounds as Boston won the series 111-102.
The Warriors are referred to as “tuxedo players” by Maxwell, who compares them to the Lakers of the 1980s.
“I love this opportunity the Celtics have because [the Warriors] are ‘tuxedo players’, they don’t want to be touched.”@cedricmaxwell81 breaks down why the Celtics “absolutely” can beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals 😤 pic.twitter.com/S92gUt14Gn
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 31, 2022
Maxwell now works as a color commentator for Celtics games on the radio. Maxwell outlined why Boston wins before the series against the Warriors.
He didn’t keep anything back.
“Absolutely, they can beat the Warriors,” he said, per Celtics on NBA Sports Boston. “They’ll beat them because they’ll defend them better. One thing they have is they have a little more size. When I think about (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown on the wings, and then you have Marcus Smart at the initial point of attack.
“I’m excited for the Celtics to get this chance because (the Warriors) are fantastic players.” They are adamant about not being touched. They aim to play a clean, seamless basketball game, similar to the Los Angeles Lakers, whom I played against in 1984. They didn’t want to be touched and preferred to play with elegance, as if it were showtime.
“Knocking a person on the head a few of times affects the entire tone of how they play.” I believe the Celtics must play in a hard manner, banging (Stephen) Curry about.”
It’s normally a positive thing to be compared to the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s, unless Maxwell is the one making the comparisons.
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Kevin McHale, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Kevin McHale, Kevin McHale, Kevin McHale, Kevin Remember the 1980s’ The Bigger the Game, the Different the Vibe? Celtics of Boston
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