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He hasn’t put on a Boston Celtics uniform in nearly 40 years, yet Cedric Maxwell insists he still hates the rival Los Angeles Lakers.
Maxwell was a recent guest on former Lakers guard Michael Cooper’s “Showtime With Coop” podcast, and he didn’t hold back. Maxwell’s Celtics hated Cooper’s Lakers, and the feeling was mutual. In fact, Maxwell still isn’t afraid to admit he still hates those guys.
The Boston Celtics and LA Lakers Were Must-See TV in the 1980s
In the 1980s, there was no bigger team rivalry in the NBA than the Celtics and the Lakers. There was also no bigger personal rivalry than Boston’s star Larry Bird against LA’s Magic Johnson. The two were the faces of the league and helped take the NBA to another level.
The Celtics dominated the East. The Lakers took care of the West. They combined for eight championships during the decade, with the Lakers taking home five titles. In each year of the ’80s, either the Celtics or the Lakers played in the championship round.
Maxwell played in two of Boston’s three championships in the decade. He was named Finals MVP in 1981 when the Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets. He also told his teammates to jump on his back in Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the hated Lakers. He came through by leading the team with 24 points in a 111-102 victory.
The ’80s rivalry was both heated and hated. It was a far cry from what we see today. There was no shaking hands after games. The teams legitimately despised each other, and the games were physical, often featuring hard fouls and thrown punches. Former Lakers guard Byron Scott once explained just how much the teams didn’t like one another.
“The one thing everybody has to understand is it was a true rivalry,” he once said on his “Off the Dribble” podcast. “It’s not like today. You don’t have the true rivalries in the NBA like you did back in those days.
“We didn’t play ball with those guys in the summer. We didn’t play high school ball with them, and we didn’t play AAU ball with those guys. Those guys hated us. We hated them.
“The rivalry was real. It was legit. We couldn’t stand each other. We tried to beat them up. They tried to beat us up. In the midst of all that, we were trying to win a series.”
Maxwell Expresses His Dislike of the Lakers to Cooper
During Maxwell’s recent appearance on Cooper’s podcast, the former Celtics forward wasted no time in making his feelings known.
“When you played in that era, it wasn’t — like right now, you and I are playing buddy, buddy, laughing and s***,” Maxwell said to Cooper. “We didn’t do that, man. I saw (former Philadelphia 76ers guard) Maurice Cheeks the other day at a game. I felt evil. I felt like I wanted to punch him.
“That’s how I feel about James Worthy, all your guys. Nothing’s really changed.”
Cooper said he’s grown to like Maxwell “as much as I hate his ass.”
“I got that same hate for your ass, too,” Maxwell said, “so don’t worry about it. We’re in the same boat. I still feel that way about Magic (Johnson) and anybody who wore them colors.”
Although Maxwell said he hated Magic, he said he does respect him.
“As much as I hate Magic,” Maxwell said, “I have the most respect for him. Not only what he did for basketball, but what he really did for the Black community and what he did for the HIV community.”
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