Cedric Maxwell has just recently
gotten back on Twitter. Why? Who knows.
But I’m glad he’s back because I think he is an ultra funny dude, and I
think he’s a winner. Plus, he’s a huge
Celtics fan, so I want to hear what he has to say. The epic Celtics season ride that we are all
on right now will be a little more fun with Max on the bandwagon.
— Cedric Maxwell (@cedricmaxwell81) December 6, 2019
I bring Cedric up this December
Sunday morning because I think the current Celtics squad is going to need someone
like him at some point this year. We are
going to need someone who can talk the talk of “Climb on my back boys” and then
walk the walk of scoring 24 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 8
assists in a Game 7, series winning performance.
The year was 1984 and it was Game 7
of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The actual choice of words has been questioned
for years (I think there were a few explatives in along with the “climb on my
back” stuff, but the point was simple: Cedric Maxwell was mentally prepared to
be THE MAN. In a locker room filled with
talents like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, etc, Max made it clear
that if we needed a hoop, they could look to him to get it done.
Who is going to be our MAN come
playoff time? We certainly have a handful of options. I’m biased and will always lean toward Jayson
Tatum needing to be the guy who takes us over the line. I remember the dunk on Lebron in the playoffs 2 years ago and the
staredown afterwards, and I see his confidence growing by the game this
year. The 3 he drained at the end of the
3rd quarter last game shows exactly what I’m talking about.
Kemba Walker deserves every chance to be the MAN as well. He has the ball in his hands the most. He is great at getting into the paint with the dribble. He has a history of absolutely carrying a team to a championship. Yes it was in college, but he has proven that he has the “climb on my back” gene.
Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward
(when he gets back) both have played great this season. Both have my full vote of confidence. Jaylen’s offensive game is so much stronger
this year. He’s becoming money from 3 and his
pullups in the lane are looking almost automatic. Hayward before he got hurt was the most
polished offensive performer on the team from game to game. It all came so easy to him.
Marcus Smart will be in the mix
too. He always is, right? He just always seems to make a play that
results in the ball being in his hands in big moments. He makes some and he misses some, as we all
know. But I love the guy and I always
will.
So who is going to be THE MAN when
we get to May/June and play Milwaukee or Toronto and then the Lakers or
Clippers or Nuggets? I’m not sure. So maybe we should ask someone else. Cedric, if you are out there and you read
this, what say you? Who’s gonna be the
guy to say “climb on my back” and then take us to the promised land?
I was always a big fan of The Rubber Band Man, but his future with Boston was sealed when he pissed off Larry Bird on Larry's first day of training camp as a rookie when Max, Curtis Rowe and Sidney Wicks were making fun of him. "Here comes the Great White Hope" is what Max directed at The Bird Man. Big mistake. Larry saw it is more than gentle prodding, and he never forgot it.
ReplyDeleteThis simply isn’t true. The story of Max, Curtis, Sidney is documented. It’s also documented that Maxwell realized real quick that bird could play. Curtis/Sidney were gone, Max and Bird connected and the rest is history. Bird was devastated in 85’ when things started to fall apart. Bird and Red blamed Max for not properly rehabbing his knee- some would say they were out of line. Many would agree w them. Either way, max okayed the trade, as he has to for the money to be right in the Walton deal. That was 6 years, 2 championships and a Finals mvp for each of them. Hardly a bird holding a grudge for that first practice. Haha.
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