Cornbread: That's Not What I Said

June 2008

Cornbread: That's Not What I Said

Cedric Maxwell is the author of several of the more colorful quotes in Celtics history.

There is one oft-repeated phrase, however, that Maxwell insists is inaccurate. Before Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the Lakers, Maxwell allegedly told his teammates, ``Climb on my back, boys,'' meaning they could rely on him for a big effort.



The forward responded by scoring 24 points as the Celtics captured their 15th NBA title with a 111-102 victory at the old Boston Garden.

``You can say `climb on my back,' but what I actually said was an X-rated version,'' Maxwell explained. ``The `climb on my back, boys' part didn't really happen like that; it was a myth. Everyone might have been talking about it at that time, but I was just determined to come out and play a great game. I had been the MVP of the playoffs before and I felt like I had to have a big game against James Worthy in order for us to be successful.''

It had been 15 years since the Celtics and the Lakers had met in the Finals, so there wasn't quite the bitterness of a Celtics-Sixers or a Celtics-Knicks rivalry at the time. The teams split the first two games, the Celtics salvaging the second contest thanks to a key Gerald Henderson steal and layup to force overtime.

The Lakers rolled over the Celtics in Game 3 and appeared to be well on their way to taking a 3-1 advantage in the series, opening up a first-half lead much to the delight of the fans in the Forum. The series switched in the third quarter when Kevin McHale clotheslined Kurt Rambis driving to the basket.

``Both teams wanted to win bad, then it became more emotional,'' said Maxwell, now the Celtics' radio analyst. ``The more emotional it got, the more physical it became. Everything was building up at the time, but the McHale play was the exclamation point of how we felt at that time. That showed how were going to slow them down: Be dominant and be physical.''

The Celtics captured the fourth game, 129-125, in overtime to square the series heading back to Boston. In sauna-like conditions, the Celtics took the lead for the first time in the Finals, winning Game 5, 121-103.

But the Lakers battled back to win Game 6, setting the stage for the finale.

``There's always gratification in winning the seventh game,'' said Maxwell. ``When you have the ring at the end of the day and you're the last man standing, that's all that really matters.''