Tag: Cedric Maxwell

When former Celtics forward Cedric …

When former Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell was a child, he and his family were on a summer road trip from their home in Kinston, N.C., when they stopped at a gas station in Waycross, Ga. Maxwell and his brother went to the bathroom, but they were small and no one really noticed them. “My mother was waiting with my sister outside to go in after we came out, and the guy in the gas station said, ‘No, miss, your bathroom is outside, in the grease pits,’ ” Maxwell recalled Monday. “My father, who had been serving in Vietnam, went off. He said, ‘I fought for this country. I got wounds. I almost died and I can’t even use the damn bathroom?’ ”

As Maxwell proudly watched Celtics such …

As Maxwell proudly watched Celtics such as Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Enes Kanter, and Vincent Poirier join in peaceful demonstrations, using their social media channels to rev up support in real time, he wondered what life might have been like if he had had access to similar platforms. “To have my voice heard,” he said. “For me to have gone someplace and been a popular athlete and said, ‘There is a beach in South Carolina which is segregated, and they put a chain-link fence in the water and you have to swim all the way out to go around?’ I was thinking as a little boy like, ‘Damn, was the water different? If you went past this area, what would happen?’ But I’d love to go back, and I’d love to be like these guys.”

Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP and …

Maxwell, the 1981 NBA Finals MVP and radio commentator for Celtics broadcasts, was particularly moved by Brown. The fourth-year forward said he drove 15 hours from Boston to Atlanta last weekend to lead his own peaceful protest in his home state. Brown, 23, put out a call on Twitter and Instagram and was joined on his march by about 100 people, including Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon. “I think that was beautiful,” Maxwell said. “For him and Brogdon to be able to do that and pull that off is great. One thing with Jaylen Brown is you really see that person, that guy where you go, ‘Man, I really admire what he does from a personal standpoint.’ He gets it and understands who is he is and appreciates his community. For him to do that was special.”

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is privy …

Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is privy to some of what the league is thinking and shared it gave the scoop to CLNS Media on the “Cedric Maxwell Podcast” this week. Rivers supports a scenario that would essentially call for dual NBA playoffs. One round to determine the last two teams in, and then the classic 1-through-8 format to follow in each conference. “The one i like the best is seven, eight, nine and ten (seeds) have a playoff to get in the playoffs,” Rivers said. “While they’re playing, one through six can train.”

Ex-Celtic Tony Allen ‘understands both sides’ in Ray Allen exit beef

Former Boston Celtic reserve guard Tony Allen says he understands both sides to the painful exit of Ray Allen that still plagues the 2008 title.

While former Boston Celtic guard Tony Allen might not have been a key part of the rotation during his tenure in Boston, he also wasn’t exactly a scrub.

His defense even then an important tool in the Celtics’ overall toolkit, he carved out a role for himself among some of the biggest names in the sport.

And when that brotherhood of ‘Ubuntu’ — a Bantu term that means “I am because you are” that became the calling card of the Banner 17 Celtics — fell apart with the departure of shooting guard Ray Allen to the Miami Heat in free agency, it caused a rift that even now has not fully healed.

Allen’s position outside the “Big Three” gave him the perspective to see things from the UConn product’s point of view as well as the rest of the team, which he shared in a recent interview with ex-Celtic Cedric Maxwell that touched on this sad mark on Celtics history.

“What I can say is you dealing with two big personalities [In Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett], man, and Ray Allen,” offered the Grindfather.

“He might not be that loud and obnoxious type, all over the place [who] demands that intensity. Ray is just that the alpha male in a more quieter way, you get what I’m saying?”

Allen was always a leader-by-example, even in his days at the University of Connecticut. And even when his leadership flexed on the court, it was somehow still reserved — an icy counter to the fiery KG and flamboyant Pierce.

“He demands respect. I’m saying so it’s just two types [that] clash,” continued Allen, “but when I was around, I thought those guys specifically took holding each other accountable and having a level of respect for each other to an all time high.”

It’s no secret these strong personalities clashed, even to the point of fighting. But they always managed to refocus in their shared goal of winning and putting the team first — until, of course, that ended.

“And I don’t know what happened,” continued Allen, referring to the slow decline egged on by injury and the hurt feelings brought into place with the former Husky finding his role reduced and his contract dangled in trade talks.

“I don’t know what happened but for Ray Allen to just be alone and leave, y’all heard the rumors … for me to on the outside looking in,” he added. “I just feel like Ray probably felt disrespected in some type of way.”

“We used to throw this word around — Ubuntu — in his situation, he probably didn’t feel that Ubuntu part, you get what I’m saying? He didn’t probably feel that a little; he probably felt something different, and when situations go like that. I just believe every man is entitled to whatever you want to do.”

“I understand both sides,” finished Allen. “Some guys felt he should have hollered at them before he left, but we all know how tricky this business is.”

While Pierce has mended fences with his former teammate, Garnett has yet to allow that water to pass underneath his particular bridge.

With his impending induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and jersey retirement looming, we may be seeing the last, best chance for this rift to be healed.

And while many fans would like this last wart on an otherwise glorious era of Celtics history put to bed, only Garnett can make that decision.

[lawrence-related id=33353,33327,33309,33283]

On July 11, 2012, Ray Allen signed with …

On July 11, 2012, Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat and instantly went from loved member of the new Boston Celtics Big 3 to one of Boston’s most hated athletes. He was vilified for joining LeBron James and the champion Heat, rather than stay in Boston and challenge them. On the new Cedric Maxwell podcast, Allen discussed his departure, what lead up to it, and the fallout from his decision.

“I left because there were so many …

“I left because there were so many unresolved issues that the team wasn’t considering or willing to change,” Allen said. “As a free agent, you want to know the team is going to do the things you know they need to do. So what is it now? It’s 2020, so you’re talking about nine years, now. I’ve gotten so much hate, death threats, vitriol from Boston fans. Obviously these guys have kind of removed me from the Big 3 and said so many negative things about me and I haven’t had one negative thing to say about any of them.”

Allen says underlying issues built up …

Boston no longer became a place he …

Boston no longer became a place he wanted to play. He disagreed with the team’s direction, his relationship with Rondo went astray, and he was even nearly traded in his final year in Boston. “I always explain that we are player that have to decide what’s best for us because the organization moves forward,” Allen said. “They trade you, they get rid of you, they cut you, and so it wasn’t a knock on anybody, it wasn’t disrespectful, I wasn’t mad at anybody when I left, it was simply put. If you’re not moving forward and in the direction that we need as the Allen family then we need to move on and find what we need for ourselves so we can be successful.”