Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors in Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Cedric Maxwell and Draymond Green have been exchanging barbs with each other since Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals. The former Boston Celtics player and the team’s current radio color commentator said that Green would have gotten “knocked the f*** out” if he played in the 1980s for his antics on June 6, 2022.
The Golden State Warriors star did not take too kindly to Maxwell’s words. The next day, Green said that players like Maxwell “were getting bullied” during that era and weren’t the ones doing the bullying back then.
On June 8, Maxwell responded to Green, acknowledging that he knows where Green is coming from with his comments, but also said that Maxwell was not a fake tough guy during his playing days.
“I understand what Draymond’s saying,” Maxwell said. “But he keeps saying no one punched nobody. You ask Charles Barkley what happened when he and I got in a fight when I was in LA, with the Clippers.”
Maxwell then went on to point out the age difference between him and Green.
“Draymond wasn’t even born when I was playing,” Maxwell said. “Let me do the math here. Draymond, ask your daddy who I was.”
Robert Parish Agrees With Maxwell’s Comments
On June 7, Celtics legend and NBA Hall-of-Famer Robert Parish went on WEEI’s “Meloni, Fauria, and Mego” radio show to give his thoughts both on Draymond Green and Maxwell’s comments about him. Parish and Maxwell were teammates from 1980 to 1985, so Parish definitely shared the same sentiment with Maxwell regarding Green’s antics.
“Draymond is an instigator. That’s right,” Parish said. “He goes out of his way to provoke people. That’s why he would’ve gotten punched — because he’s an antagonist… Both sides know that Draymond is a contrarian. Like I said, he’s a troublemaker, in my opinion.”
Parish then went on to explain that Green reminds him of another NBA Hall of Famer known for provoking his opponent much like Green and that the more he does it, the more likely it will come back to bite him.
“He’s a fingernail away from letting his teammates down,” Parish said. “He shows up the officials, and you cannot do that. They had to warn him. He was trying to start trouble with different Celtics players, trying to get them to do something out of character. Trying to provoke them to do something detrimental to their team. He kind of reminds me of Dennis Rodman a little bit, how he provokes: keep poking the dog, poking the dog. But sooner or later, the dog is going to bite you.”
Parish Infamously Lost His Temper With a Provocateur
During his playing days with the Celtics, Robert Parish got the nickname “Chief” based on the character from the 1975 film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest based on how non-expressive Parish was when he played. He wasn’t one to complain to officials just as he wasn’t one to express excitement over making a highlight-reel play.
There was only one play where Parish let his emotions show on the court. Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Laimbeer was known for instigating fights when the Celtics and the Pistons played against each other. Though usually calm and collected, Parish finally couldn’t take Laimbeer’s antics anymore and double punched him in the face.
Celtics fans believe Green should have been kicked out of Game 2 for getting into an altercation with Jaylen Brown after fouling him. Parish didn’t even get a technical foul for sucker-punching Laimbeer in the face.