Cedrick Maxwell on Larry Bird

[MerkinMuffly]

Yeah Max, is that why you and Archibald and Cowens were the 2nd worst team in the NBA before Bird came his rookie year and made the Celtics #1 in the regular season. For those that think Bird didn't play defense, here ya go: watch?v=Z7Ixy8Uttq0

[geocgeo]

Looks like Bird could play defense.

1981-82 NBA All-Defensive (2nd)

1982-83 NBA All-Defensive (2nd)

1983-84 NBA All-Defensive (2nd)

Max 433 blocks for his 13 year career Bird 755 for his 13 year career.

Max 671 Steals Bird 1551

Defensive rebounds Max 3153 Bird 7217

Max has always had a sense of humor...LOL

[FavreianVengeance]

(2/2) Also watch how Bird is always cognizant of his position and blocking people out or filling space when shots go up. Even while playing aside trees like Maxwell, Parish, McHale and Walton he still averaged 10 rebounds for his career. I don't think a small forward has better career rebounding numbers than that.

[FavreianVengeance]

(1/2) Bird averaged 1.7 stls and .8 blks (even though he didn't jump high). The dude played defense. Bird just played system defense rather than foolishly try to clamp down players every time and waste energy. As a matter of fact, watch the Bird versus Jordan games. He was smart enough to give Jordan cushion and force him into 15 foot plus shots and Jordan never dunked on Bird like he did to everyone else.....

[deepthreat]

Bird made Maxwell a lot better, too.

Maxwell did nothing after he was traded from the Celtics and Bird won another title and made two more finals.

[geocgeo]

@deepthreat Search YouTube for

Larry Bird - Defense

[kingdomoftheworm]

I agree with everything he said except for when he said Larry did not have to defend. 3x All-Defensive Second Team selections from '82-'84 (all years Max was still in his prime) and he never D'ed up on anyone? Come on, Ced, be real.

[usnate1]

It happens all the time with individual teams best scorers(depending on how hard of a cover the star player has on the D side) Bryant, Lebron, MJ, Bird, Magic, Dr. J you name it...They do it most of the time to conserve the energy of the offensively gifted players so they aren't to tired by the 4th quarter....MJ didn't guard the best player every game EVERY game either. He wasn't on Reggie Miller every time(just one example.) Happens in college and the nba.

[hemet92544]

CORNBREAD! that was Ced's nickname

[montenegrin2010]

I think Maxwell gives a truthful analysis of Bird's influence on the team, simple as that.

[skirbyr]

larry had a huge wall to be considered as the best, he was white, hick, and told he wasnt suppose to be in this leage! he proved everyone wrong, and never backed down! regardless of color!

[joekiddlouischama]

By the way, his name is "Cedric," not "Cedrick." But thanks for posting the video.

[mgalore]

some of you are misinterpreting what max is saying he says that people made larry bird a better player as well as larry making others great . he didnt say larry didnt play defense he said people made it where larry didnt have to play defense . assisting him in a tream context .

[joekiddlouischama]

@mgalore ... at least there's someone with a worthwhile mind around.

[rick9565]

Cedric "rubber band man" you were one talented yet very inconsistent player..

[joekiddlouischama]

@rick9565 Yet Maxwell proved consistent enough to lead the NBA in field goal percentage in consecutive seasons, '78-'79 at .584 (while Bird was still attending Indiana State University) and '79-'80 at .609.

[agirard77]

how many titles and mvp's did bobby jones win? haha good one

[trevorh321]

Bird was not a good defender individually but he was a brilliant team defender, one of the best in the league. He saw the game in slow motion and was able to anticipate passes all the time.

Maxwell was a great player in his own right. He was tough and gritty and had a great little half hook shot.

[mok713]

Larry Bird made All NBA 2nd Team Defense 3 times 1983-1985 ..Max you are WRONG!!!

[joekiddlouischama]

@mok713 ... no, he's not wrong; see my posts here. Bird didn't need to routinely defend the other team's best scoring forward and All-Defensive Teams do not constitute reliable gauges of defensive ability. Often, they reflect notoriety and non-comprehensive statistics such as steals more than anything else.

[phospholipasec]

OK, he said Larry Bird did NOT play defense.

Can some one correct with him with facts please??

[YawningBoy]

@phospholipasec everyone has their own opinion. I never watched larry bird that much when i was a little kid but in my opinion he had defense. It wasn't the best but it was there.

[joekiddlouischama]

@phospholipasec Maxwell meant that Bird didn't need to routinely guard the elite, explosive scoring forwards of the eighties such as Julius Erving, Bernard King, Dominique Wilkins, Jamaal Wilkes, James Worthy, Alex English, Adrian Dantley, Mark Aguirre, and Tom Chambers. Charles Barkley once said that he and his Sixer teammates felt insulted whenever Bird guarded them because Bird constituted "the worst defender ever."

[joekiddlouischama]

@joekiddlouischama Thanks to Maxwell and Kevin McHale, however, Bird could usually avoid those match-ups and reserve his energy for offense and rebounding.

[joekiddlouischama]

@joekiddlouischama Of course, Bird certainly represented an exceptional team defender who used his extraordinary vision, instincts, intelligence, and anticipation to record steals and blocks and take charges. But if the Celtics were playing the Lakers and James Worthy and Kurt Rambis were the L.A. forwards, Bird would usually guard the non-threatening Rambis while Maxwell or McHale handled Worthy.

[joekiddlouischama]

@joekiddlouischama One of the reasons why the Celtics declined precipitously on defense in the late 1980s stems from the combination of Maxwell's departure and McHale's broken foot, suffered in 1987. Consequently, the Celtics could no longer hide Bird's individual defensive liabilities as easily.

But Maxwell didn't say that Bird didn't play defense, just that Bird didn't "have to defend" premier offensive players on a regular basis.

[joekiddlouischama]

@joekiddlouischama Likewise, the presence of Byron Scott and Michael Cooper on the Lakers meant that Magic Johnson didn't need to guard John Stockton, Kevin Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan. Had Magic needed to chase those guys around, he may not have proved quite as effective offensively.

Not many players (Jordan constituted an exception) play leading offensive roles while also serving as defensive stoppers for their teams.

[rubiconsedge]

@joekiddlouischama You are correct, sir

[FenqShuAlex]

I always thought Cedric had a cool nickname when came into the NBA..... 'Cornbread Maxwell' as he was called(he took the nickname from a movie).

[skirbyr]

max didnt work like larry!

[skirbyr]

maxwell sucked

[tangomanana]

He hated James Worthy, which is worth a plus one

[garioldwin]

haha why did he hated him ?

[tangomanana]

Dunno, but I saw him on a video say " I hated the Lakers and I ESPECIALLY hated James Worthy." Probably due to common No. Carolina background

[LuigiLaker]

Could it be because Big Game made him his bitch in the '84 Finals, posterizing him..TWICE!

[joekiddlouischama]

@LuigiLaker And what about Game Seven of that series?

[joekiddlouischama]

@garioldwin Why did he "hate" him? In Game Six of the 1984 NBA Finals in Los Angeles, Worthy shoved Maxwell into the basket support.

[joekiddlouischama]

@skirbyr Maxwell (not Bird) was the MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals and in Game Seven of the 1984 NBA Finals, when Bird shot 6-18 from the field, Maxwell produced a team-high 24 points, 8 rebounds, a team-high 8 assists, and 2 steals in a team-high 43 minutes, shooting 5-10 from the field and 14-17 from the foul line. Bird marked Boston's best player, but Maxwell constituted a commendable complement. "Cornbread" actually led the NBA in field goal percentage in consecutive seasons ('79 and '80).

[niemij]

yeah larry bird didn't defend... best help defender ever

[joekiddlouischama]

@niemij ... a commendable help defender? Yes. Better than Scottie Pippen, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bill Russell, Kevin Garnett, et. al.? No.

[CoorsLightAllDayEver]

Cedric Maxwell is a racist. I listen to him on WEEI all the time. No need for him to be talking shit. Hes a jealous person who cares only for himself.

[joekiddlouischama]

@CoorsLightAllDayEver So you're one of those white guys who thinks that any strong-minded person of color is a "racist." Well-done, Glenn Beck.

For the record, Maxwell praises Bird effusively here, but if you think that Bird proved perfect in every aspect of the game, you are mistaken. But then, your user-name suggests that you are a drunkard. 

[judahsong]

I think that this might be based on Bird's thoughts about Maxwell in his book Drive. He also feels Bird pushed for his exile out of Boston for Bill Walton.

[joekiddlouischama]

@judahsong ... or... his comments could be accurate. Maxwell or Kevin McHale, not Larry Bird, usually took the tough defensive assignments at forward.

[judahsong]

@joekiddlouischama could be true

[RONDOismyHOMEBOY]

Larry played D!

[Ariamaluum]

No, he didn't not half-court. Bobby Jones schooled him to death.

[RONDOismyHOMEBOY]

Help D

[mfenness]

Max is a mush-mouthed chump.

[xmuscularghandix]

you dont know what your talking about.

[joekiddlouischama]

@mfenness ... Maxwell knows much more about basketball than you. He is a champ (Finals MVP in 1981), while you are the chump.