The head of the 1980s Boston Celtics dynasty was Larry Bird. Throughout the decade, he led the Celtics to three championships and won three MVP awards in a row. He is arguably among the top five players of all time and is among the top two players in team history.
Recently, Bird’s old teammate Cedric Maxwell said on the Cedric Maxwell Podcast that he had a conversation regarding team reunions with former Detroit Pistons enforcer Rick Mahorn. He mentioned that the Pistons had one and that the Celtics ought to have one, but he also hinted that Bird might not be in favor of it.
MVP of the 1981 NBA Finals, Cedric Maxwell earned two titles with the Boston Celtics. He underwent surgery in February 1985 after tearing cartilage in his knee. He was supposed to return in four weeks, but he stayed away far longer. According to Maxwell’s book If These Walls Could Talk, his injuries appeared to cause issues with his teammates.
“Everything changed once I got hurt, especially my relationship with my teammates and the team,” Maxwell wrote. For me, it was a truly enlightening experience. Red Auerbach was at the head of the chain of command. He would say things like, “I didn’t think I was working hard enough to come back,” and “I wasn’t motivated the same because I was getting paid.”
Maxwell said that Bird shared his sentiments with a few other colleagues.
He remarked, “(Bird) and a few of my teammates felt like I didn’t want to come back.” “I was really hurt by that.” This is a man that I played championship sports and grew up with. Well, that certainly hurt. That was probably the lowest point of my life—just getting injured and having people not get it.”
