Cornbread and the Fakers

Cornbread Maxwell was a trash-talking, walk-the-walk competitor who loved to verbally spar with the best in the league."My most memorable one was talking to Pat Riley," said Maxwell. "There were three Lakers on the bench, two or three nobodies who never got in. I was scoring a bunch of points and they were yelling and hollering from the bench that I was holding this guy, and hooking that guy.

"So the ball goes out of bounds near the Lakers bench, and I turn to Riley and say, `Hey Pat, do me a favor. Why don't you put one of these Bozos in the game and let them try to guard me?' Of course, I didn't say Bozo. I said something else. "The next thing you know, Pat puts one of those guys in. I score two or three baskets in a row. I say, `It's a lot different out here, playing me, isn't it fella.' Riley didn't say anything. He was teaching the kid a lesson."