Cedric Maxwell - If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics: Stories from the Boston Celtics Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box

To the two men in my life, one that I didnt know in Deford Small, who was my birth father, and to the man who raised me, my adopted father, Manny Maxwell. Without Deford, I obviously wouldnt be here. And without Manny, I wouldnt be the man I am today. C.M.

To my family: my wife, Katie, who has always encouraged me to follow my dreams; my son, Zachary, who has come with me to so many sporting events; and my daughter, Alexandra Cookie, the best writer in our house. M.I.

Praise for Cedric Maxwell and If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics

Im grateful for my friendship with Max. Ill always be grateful for how he treated me initially, which probably started off our friendship, and it just grew from there. Hes been loyal, and I think hes been a really good Celtic for all these years. I know we had a glitch in the middle, but Im glad that hes back with us. Even with some of the things that hes had to endure throughout his career in Boston, I know the fans loved him. I really dont know any people that are not Cedric Maxwell fans.

Danny Ainge, Boston Celtics guard (198189), president of basketball operations (200321)

Like the legendary Celtics Hall of Famer Sam Jones, Maxwell had been one of the sports greatest big-game players. Besides the 81 MVP, he had turned in an epic performance in Game 7 of the 1984 championship, keying an epoch-making triumph over the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and coach Pat Riley with 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. As the video coordinator for the team in the 1980s, I watched the brilliant Maxwell add a vital element to a superstar-laden locker room. His hilarious exchanges with the moody legend Tiny Archibald were vital to the teams success. He gave newcomer Robert Parish the nickname Chief, fitting and proper for a man who declined fanfare yet was a team protector . He brought the best out of the late Dennis Johnson, another legendary player.

Robert Schron, author of The Bird Era: A History of the Boston Celtics 19781988

We just really liked each other. Its funny. I talked with him and Danny [Ainge] in New York, and after two minutes, were laughing our asses off at the same things we laughed at before. Its hilarious because we just go right back to where we were.

Kevin McHale, Boston Celtics forward (198093)

This book is long overdue. I covered the Celtics every day of Maxs final three seasons here, and its been a joy to have him as part of our local media team in the last couple of decades. Nobody who played in Boston was funnier or more clutch. Max and Mike Isenberg have brought it to life in these pages. Read it. You will learn and laugh.

Dan Shaughnessy, columnist, The Boston Globe and author of Wish It Lasted Forever : Life with the Larry Bird Celtics

Maxs achievements on the court speak for themselves: NBA Finals MVP, two-time NBA champion, and a critical component on one of the most feared front lines in basketball history. Max played big in big games. But he also had fun. He always played energized and intense but would also laugh and crack a joke, never seeming to take himself too seriously on a team that rarely broke a smile. I got to know Cedric Maxwell the broadcaster, the legendary character that would draw a hush in the press room when entering. Dressed from head to tippy toe in custom suits, Max looked like an NBA legend. When he started telling stories, the press dining room followed his every word.

Co-author Mike Isenberg navigates Maxwells journey through racial tensions of growing up in the Jim Crow South, to his years as a professional basketball star in a city unfairly judged as racist, to his relationship with the 2008 championship team, to todays team in green. There isnt much Max missed when it comes to the last 40-plus years in Boston basketball. Mike and Max plow their way through the up and down relationship with Larry Bird, Red Auerbach, and the trade to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1985. They leave no stone unturned. Max is maybe the most visible mystery in Celtics recent history. Everyone always wondered what happened between Cedric and the Celtics way back in the golden decade of the NBA. Thanks to this book, you now can get a glimpse of the magic that is Cedric Cornbread Maxwell, the man who won a Finals MVP in 1981 and continued to change lives and make an indelible impact with everyone he met on and off the court.

Nick Gelso, CEO, CLNS Media

He got his number raised, which is always the way it should have been. And now weve had a second life as a Celtica symbolic Celtic, if you willand a beloved figure in the community. Its all ended well, and Im happy for that. Hes just tremendously good guy to be around and hes got a lot to offer and that comes through.

Bob Ryan, sport columnist emeritus, The Boston Globe

Hes funny and has a good heart. He cares about people. Basically, he sees things through the same lens I do. Cedric is coolHes got a gift for talking, and Ive listened to his commentating on games, and hes killing it.

Robert Parish, Boston Celtics center (19801994)

Hes come back as a broadcaster, and everybody loves this guy. I think you have to understand about the fans in Boston: theyre very knowledgeable, and a lot of them appreciate his contribution to the game.

Don Chaney, Boston Celtics guard (196875, 197780)

Cedric is a true friend. When hes on your side, you always know what youre going to get, its going to be consistent. Hes been adopted twicebiological adoption and sports adoption because the city of Boston has adopted Max. Its a two-way street. Max realized that Boston became his home. Hes made a lot of friends there, and the city really, really, really cares about Max.

M.L. Carr, Boston Celtics guard/forward (197985), head coach (199597)

Contents

Foreword by Robert Parish

The first time I met Cedric Maxwell was back in November of 1974 during the first of our two college matchups between my Centenary team and his squad from the University of North CarolinaCharlotte. We each won one of these games, but I dont remember much from those two contests except how great a player he was. His game was different than a lot of guys in that he had an unstoppable weaponthat deadly jump hook.

After those two games, I figured wed play against each other in the pros but never could have imagined that wed become lifelong friends. My NBA career began when I was drafted by the Golden State Warriors. Being younger than I, Cedric was picked in the following year by the Boston Celtics. But our fates would intertwine prior to the 1980 NBA Draft. Boston had the top pick; Golden State had the third. There were a lot of rumors that we were going to sign Cedric as a free agent and then draft Kevin McHale out of Minnesota. That would have given us a powerful front line of Maxwell, McHale, and myself.

Of course, Red Auerbach then pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in league history. He sent the No. 1 pick to the Warriors in exchange for the No. 3and yours truly. He took McHale, and the Celtics now had Maxwell, McHale, and myself to go with a guy named Larry Bird. Its funny how one simple trade could change the course of history. Our Big Four ended up winning two championships and gaining enough memories for a lifetime. People know me as Chief. That name came from Cedric, who compared me to the Native American character in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest who went by the same name. Not only did I pick up a nickname that would follow me forever, but I had also gained a lifelong friend.