“I’m on the floor right now busing my a**, and they’re cheering for this freakin’ guy?” Cedric Maxwell was ‘pissed off’ over the publicity a young Larry Bird received.
Cornbread was incredulous that more Celtics fans than he was were embracing Bird.
Speaking on NBA Got Game TV, “Cornbread” related an incident in which Bird, who had just been selected by Red Auerbach, was watching a Celtics game from the sidelines. Fans were pleased to see him and were shouting for the native of Indiana. However, they paid no attention to Maxwell’s valiant efforts on the court.
Ced, who was already agitated over Larry taking away his attention, gave the 6’9″ forward a cold reception when he arrived at Celtics practice. At first, Maxwell was happy to show off his control over the newcomer, but as Bird showed his “A-Game,” Maxwell was forced to acknowledge his talent.
“That year you talked about when I was averaging 19 and 10,” Maxwell recalled. “Among the crowd was Larry Bird. Red picked him when he was a junior and eligible, and he attended one of our games. He got a lot of support from the crowd, and I’m on the ground currently busting my ass, so why are they cheering for this freakin’ guy? I was simply so irritated.”
“I put my hands down from about eighteen feet away, and he makes the first jump shot. Yes, it seems like pure luck to me. He’s made so many baskets by the end of the day,” Maxwell continued. “I recall saying, ‘You know what?’ to the first Black person I could see following practice. “This white guy can play, f***ing.”
After adjusting to the consequences of Bird’s arrival, the native of North Carolina realized that having “Larry Legend” around would improve his chances of winning a championship. He so made a determined effort to create a solid “union” with “The Hick From French Lick” moving forward.
“Yes, I was upset, but what I understood at the end of the day was that you can’t fight city hall,” Maxwell said. “Collectively, I felt we had to form a union.”
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