CEDRIC MAXWELL


Born;
November 21, 1955


Cedric Maxwell, affectionately know to his teammates and friends as, "Max", became the 22nd and most recent Celtics great to have his number retired.

Cedric, Boston's top pick (the 12th pick overall) in the 1977 NBA Draft (from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte), played eight seasons for the Celtics, from 1977 through 1985.

in 1979 and 1980, he led the NBA in field goal percentage.

in 1978-79, "Max" shot 58.4% from the field and in 1979-80, he shot a blistering 60.9% from the floor.

He helped lead the Celtics to the NBA World Championship title in 1981 and 1984.

in 1981, he was named the NBA Playoff Most Valuable Player.

He is the Celtics all-time leader in field goal shooting percentage, shooting an incredible 55.9% (2,786-for-4,984) from the floor.



The man who put UNC-Charlotte on the basketball map is now a successful radio commentator, but to legions of fans he is best known as one of the Boston Celtics greatest.  A well-publicized falling out with Red Auerbach long kept the player known as “Cornbread” from the team's highest honor "having his No. 31 retired to the rafters". Remember Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals?  While Larry Bird was named the series MVP, nobody played bigger in Game 7 than Max.  It was Maxwell who jumped to his feet in the pre-game locker room and yelled, "Get on my back tonight boys, this is my game."

And what a game it was:  Maxwell went right to work on Laker forward James Worthy, scoring 24 points and hitting the boards like a man possessed.  His presence under the basket put the Lakers in early foul trouble and set the stage for another Celtics world championship.

Maxwell joined Team Green in 1977 as the 13th pick in the first round.  The Celtics were a team in decline at the time, awash in bad chemistry and fading stars.  Auerbach needed to rebuild, and Maxwell would prove to be an important piece to the championship puzzle.  He would soon be joined by Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, turning the Celtics frontline into perhaps the greatest ever.

Maxwell's legacy is one of rising to the occasion, of never shying away from the big moments.  Game 5 of the 1981 NBA Finals against Houston was vintage Max; with the series deadlocked at two games apiece and Rockets star Moses Malone talking trash, Maxwell responded with a 28-point, 19-rebound performance that helped shift momentum and propel the Celtics to their fourteenth NBA Championship.  Maxwell, fittingly, was named the NBA Finals MVP.

An impressive sum to be sure, but there is much more to Maxwell than mere basketball exploits.  Always the impeccable dresser, Maxwell designs his own clothes " suits, primarily" and now has other celebs requesting his services.  He has produced a number of successful, off-Broadway plays.  He's a gifted chess player.  And, of course, there's his current gig as color man for the Celtics flagship radio station, 1510 The Zone.









December 15, 2003