Boston Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell was anxiously awaiting the arrival of rookie Larry Bird in 1979. And not because Maxwell thought Bird could change the trajectory of the franchise. Rather, Maxwell thought he could show the high-profile Bird what it actually took to play in the NBA.
Back then, the Celtics’ veterans would get together with the rookies ahead of training camp and play some five-on-five. Maxwell indicated he was confident going up against Bird, a gangly rookie from little Indiana State. Yes, the Sycamores were coming off a run to the NCAA championship game. But still, Bird hadn’t played against NBA competition before.
So Maxwell assumed he would take Bird to pro basketball school.
That’s not how it worked out. With Maxwell defending, Bird came down at hit a jumper in his face. Then another. Then another, and then yet another, as Maxwell explained in a recent episode of Celtics City.
He learned quickly that Bird didn’t just belong — he would fit right in. It seemed right away as if Bird might end up being something special.
“Larry Bird was that dude,” Maxwell said on his podcast. “He was that guy.”
Maxwell’s intuition proved correct as Bird made a massive difference immediately. Boston finished 29-53 in 1978-79. With Bird as a rookie, the Celtics turned it around completely to go 61-21.
In Bird’s second season, the Celtics won the title. It was just the beginning of great things to come, and Maxwell was among the first to find out about it.
“(Coach) Bill Fitch decided he was gonna put us on the same team,” Maxwell said of the first practice with Bird. “That’s where it started.”
Maxwell and Bird won another title together, when the Celtics defeated Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 Finals. They went again in ’85, losing to LA. After that season, Maxwell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Bill Walton — a deal that helped propel Boston to its 16th banner.
The Celtics of the Bird era went one more time, in 1987, when they again lost to the Lakers, as injuries and a short bench began to take their toll. Bird finally retired in 1992 after a run with the Team USA “Dream Team.”
Widely considered one of the 10 greatest players in NBA history, Bird finished with career averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists, shooting 49.6% from the field and 37.6% on 3-pointers (and 88.6% on free throws) in 897 career games.
Maxwell later called Bird “the greatest player I ever played with” in his book.
“He and I were one of the best forward combinations in the NBA,” Maxwell wrote. “We weren’t the best of friends, but we were basketball friends; that’s the best way I can put it. We loved the game, and our competitive juices made each other better.”
