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If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics: Stories from the Boston Celtics Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box
A behind the scenes perspective on Boston Celtics history from two-time champion Cedric Maxwell Having won two NBA titles with the Celtics before joining the broadcasting team as a radio analyst, Cedric Maxwell knows what it means to live and breathe Celtics basketball. In If These Walls Could Boston Celtics, Maxwell opens up about his life and career and provides insight into the team's inner sanctum as only he can, from Larry Bird to the Big Three era and up to the current roster.Featuring conversations with players and coaches past and present as well as off-the-wall anecdotes only Maxwell can tell, this indispensable volume is your ticket to Celtics history.
- GenresSportsBasketball
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2021
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38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 10, 2024
an interesting read. cool to see the evolution trough cornbread’s eyes, particularly his takes on the younger guys and more recent management. i know it’s to be expected but the spelling and grammatical errors really irked me, can’t you get just one more editor to give it a one-over?
October 10, 2023
As an enormous Celtics fan and NBA fan as a whole, I knew when I came across this book, I would want to read it. Not only is it written by Celtics legend Cedric Maxwell, but also it covers his first-hand experiences with the team. Starting with him as a player with the Celtics during their legendary ‘80s championship runs to where he is currently as a broadcaster, he covers it all. I was especially interested with his playing experiences and playing along with NBA legends Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish.
The book first starts out with Cedric Maxwell and the Celtics 1983-1984 championship run. During this championship run, the Boston Celtics, who were led by Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Cedric Maxwell, faced their rival the Los Angeles Lakers who were led by James Worthy, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. This series went to Game 7 in which the Celtics prevailed. This gave Maxwell his first of two NBA Championships. Maxwell talks about the team celebrating after winning the Championship and how they all felt like little kids, huddling together and jumping up and down in the locker room. Maxwell goes on and takes us back to the 1981 playoffs for the Celtics. In this postseason run, the Celtics defeated their other rival the Philadelphia 76ers and later the Houston Rockets in the NBA championship. Maxwell recalls this playoff run specifically because he won the 1981 Finals MVP. Maxwell specifically talks about Game 5 of the finals. In this game, he scored 28 points with 15 rebounds. Maxwell recalls this game specifically because he feels that this is the game that allowed him to win the Finals MVP. To end the 1981 playoffs, Maxwell finishes by talking about his favorite part which was the championship parade in Boston. After both of these championship runs, Maxwell talks about how his time with the Celtics was coming to an end. He writes about how after injuring his knee he was never the same player and that he got traded from the Celtics to the Clippers because of his knee injury. Maxwell also talks about his exit with the Celtics not being handled well with the organization bad-mouthing him and the rift he had with some of his teammates. After being traded from the Celtics, Maxwell bounced around from team to team before retiring after the 1987-1988 season. Later on after his retirement, Maxwell joined the Celtics as a broadcaster. This is where he later recalls the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics championship team. Here Maxwell writes about the difference that head coach Doc Rivers made in helping the Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship. General manager Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and signed Ray Allen to a team that had Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins. Plus, the Celtics were able to draft Rajon Rondo as well. The combination of Doc Rivers, the core of the team, and those three additions helped the Celtics win the championship. Maxwell ends the book talking about the new era of the Boston Celtics which includes the rising stars of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Some aspects I liked about this book were how Maxwell talks about life during the 1980s while in the NBA and his first-hand experiences such as winning 2 championships and a finals MVP. I also liked that he discusses the lower points of his career such as dealing with being traded from the Celtics whom he had a great impact with. Not only with dealing with being traded from the Celtics but dealing with a Knee injury which made him only ½ the player he originally was hurting at the end of his career. One other thing I liked was the storytelling in which he would talk about how he had some close relationships with certain players such as Robert Parish and how he would recall stories like how Celtics coach Bill Fitch would throw chairs in the locker room and scream at players which Maxwell said was the opposite of the coach who came after Fitch, KC Jones. Some parts that I did not like about the book were the number of grammatical errors there were. He can also be confusing at times. For example, he was talking about houses that were going for $35,000 in Roxbury and now are worth billions which did not make sense at all. There were also other misspellings and wrong use of punctuation throughout the book. One other thing I did not like about the book was how drawn out it felt after Maxwell was done talking about the 2008 championship. After the 2008 championship, Maxwell started talking about later teams and trades that the team made but at this point, it felt like he was just telling the audience about what had happened instead of recalling more personal experiences. Finally, Maxwell would repeat some information that he had already discussed. Like for example he talks about his finals MVP numerous times which becomes repetitive and boring.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was an interesting first-person look at the Celtics over many years. I would recommend this book to any Celtics fan who is interested in learning about not only the 1980s championship runs but also the years that followed. This book allows the reader to hear a top player’s personal account as both part of the team and later on as a commentator.
The book first starts out with Cedric Maxwell and the Celtics 1983-1984 championship run. During this championship run, the Boston Celtics, who were led by Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Cedric Maxwell, faced their rival the Los Angeles Lakers who were led by James Worthy, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. This series went to Game 7 in which the Celtics prevailed. This gave Maxwell his first of two NBA Championships. Maxwell talks about the team celebrating after winning the Championship and how they all felt like little kids, huddling together and jumping up and down in the locker room. Maxwell goes on and takes us back to the 1981 playoffs for the Celtics. In this postseason run, the Celtics defeated their other rival the Philadelphia 76ers and later the Houston Rockets in the NBA championship. Maxwell recalls this playoff run specifically because he won the 1981 Finals MVP. Maxwell specifically talks about Game 5 of the finals. In this game, he scored 28 points with 15 rebounds. Maxwell recalls this game specifically because he feels that this is the game that allowed him to win the Finals MVP. To end the 1981 playoffs, Maxwell finishes by talking about his favorite part which was the championship parade in Boston. After both of these championship runs, Maxwell talks about how his time with the Celtics was coming to an end. He writes about how after injuring his knee he was never the same player and that he got traded from the Celtics to the Clippers because of his knee injury. Maxwell also talks about his exit with the Celtics not being handled well with the organization bad-mouthing him and the rift he had with some of his teammates. After being traded from the Celtics, Maxwell bounced around from team to team before retiring after the 1987-1988 season. Later on after his retirement, Maxwell joined the Celtics as a broadcaster. This is where he later recalls the 2007-2008 Boston Celtics championship team. Here Maxwell writes about the difference that head coach Doc Rivers made in helping the Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship. General manager Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and signed Ray Allen to a team that had Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins. Plus, the Celtics were able to draft Rajon Rondo as well. The combination of Doc Rivers, the core of the team, and those three additions helped the Celtics win the championship. Maxwell ends the book talking about the new era of the Boston Celtics which includes the rising stars of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Some aspects I liked about this book were how Maxwell talks about life during the 1980s while in the NBA and his first-hand experiences such as winning 2 championships and a finals MVP. I also liked that he discusses the lower points of his career such as dealing with being traded from the Celtics whom he had a great impact with. Not only with dealing with being traded from the Celtics but dealing with a Knee injury which made him only ½ the player he originally was hurting at the end of his career. One other thing I liked was the storytelling in which he would talk about how he had some close relationships with certain players such as Robert Parish and how he would recall stories like how Celtics coach Bill Fitch would throw chairs in the locker room and scream at players which Maxwell said was the opposite of the coach who came after Fitch, KC Jones. Some parts that I did not like about the book were the number of grammatical errors there were. He can also be confusing at times. For example, he was talking about houses that were going for $35,000 in Roxbury and now are worth billions which did not make sense at all. There were also other misspellings and wrong use of punctuation throughout the book. One other thing I did not like about the book was how drawn out it felt after Maxwell was done talking about the 2008 championship. After the 2008 championship, Maxwell started talking about later teams and trades that the team made but at this point, it felt like he was just telling the audience about what had happened instead of recalling more personal experiences. Finally, Maxwell would repeat some information that he had already discussed. Like for example he talks about his finals MVP numerous times which becomes repetitive and boring.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was an interesting first-person look at the Celtics over many years. I would recommend this book to any Celtics fan who is interested in learning about not only the 1980s championship runs but also the years that followed. This book allows the reader to hear a top player’s personal account as both part of the team and later on as a commentator.
December 30, 2023
Cornbread
November 13, 2021
Great stories and fun reliving Celtics past, but an embarrassing number of typos throughout.
October 15, 2024
Hi, I'm Max, and I'm a huge sports fan. Sports are my life. I love playing and watching everything about sports, but my favorite team of all is the Boston Celtics, without a doubt. The Celtics are everything to me. I watch all their games and even went to the parade when they won last year. Last Christmas, my mom got me this book, and when I saw it, I noticed Jayson Tatum and Cedric Maxwell right away. Not only is Jayson Tatum my favorite player, but Cedric Maxwell is an all-time great, and since his last name is my first name, I've always liked him a lot. Looking at the cover, it says the book gives an inside view of the Celtics organization, as told by Cedric Maxwell. For me, this was a no-brainer—I was interested the second I saw it.
The book begins with Maxwell entering the league as a rookie in the 1977 draft, going 12th overall to the Boston Celtics. In his first few seasons, some all-time greats like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale were drafted by the Celtics, joining Maxwell, and then the Celtics made a big trade for center Robert Parish, who was out of shape at the time. This "Big 4," as referred to in the book, went on a championship run, winning in the 1981 and 1984 seasons. In the first of these two championships, Maxwell became a prominent figure in basketball and won Finals MVP, helping the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in six games. Three years later, they beat the Celtics' all-time rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for their 15th title in franchise history.
After this season, things went downhill for Maxwell. He suffered a knee injury just after getting paid, and starting forward Larry Bird thought Maxwell didn't want to come back, believing he was lazy and soft, even though Maxwell was genuinely hurt and unable to play. This misunderstanding hurt Maxwell more than anything in his career because no one in the organization believed he was truly injured. Eventually, he was traded to the Clippers for an injury-prone big man, Bill Walton, who later helped the Celtics win another championship. After Maxwell's time in Boston, his career declined, moving from the Clippers to the Rockets before being traded again and retiring in 1988 at the age of 32.
During retirement, Maxwell tried coaching but eventually went into broadcasting after clearing the air with Celtics President Red Auerbach about his time in Boston. In the next part of the book, Maxwell discusses his broadcasting career during the Pierce, Allen, and Garnett era, where they won the 2008 championship with new head coach Doc Rivers, whose coaching style was much different from what Maxwell was used to. Finally, he talks about the current Celtics and the future, praising how great he believes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will become. He also praises Danny Ainge for the trade that sent an aging Garnett and Pierce to the Nets in exchange for some players, but more importantly, the three first-round picks that turned into Tatum and Brown, setting the Celtics up to win the championship in 2024.
What I enjoyed about this book was Maxwell's storytelling and first-hand experiences with some of the greatest figures in basketball, including Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach, and Danny Ainge, as well as new stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The experiences Maxwell shares are intriguing for any Celtics fan who may never get the chance to meet these legends. I think the character development was strong, too. I got a good sense of how coaches like K.C. Jones and Bill Fitch differed—Fitch was very hard on the players, while Jones, being a former Celtics player himself, was more of a "players' coach." I also appreciated the images included, which helped put a face to the names Maxwell mentioned. This is an underrated touch in the book.
What didn’t work for me was that the book could be confusing at times. There were moments when I wasn’t sure who was speaking or what exactly was happening. Also, some parts felt stretched out or repeated unnecessarily. But overall, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to any Celtics fan, whether old or young.
The book begins with Maxwell entering the league as a rookie in the 1977 draft, going 12th overall to the Boston Celtics. In his first few seasons, some all-time greats like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale were drafted by the Celtics, joining Maxwell, and then the Celtics made a big trade for center Robert Parish, who was out of shape at the time. This "Big 4," as referred to in the book, went on a championship run, winning in the 1981 and 1984 seasons. In the first of these two championships, Maxwell became a prominent figure in basketball and won Finals MVP, helping the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in six games. Three years later, they beat the Celtics' all-time rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, for their 15th title in franchise history.
After this season, things went downhill for Maxwell. He suffered a knee injury just after getting paid, and starting forward Larry Bird thought Maxwell didn't want to come back, believing he was lazy and soft, even though Maxwell was genuinely hurt and unable to play. This misunderstanding hurt Maxwell more than anything in his career because no one in the organization believed he was truly injured. Eventually, he was traded to the Clippers for an injury-prone big man, Bill Walton, who later helped the Celtics win another championship. After Maxwell's time in Boston, his career declined, moving from the Clippers to the Rockets before being traded again and retiring in 1988 at the age of 32.
During retirement, Maxwell tried coaching but eventually went into broadcasting after clearing the air with Celtics President Red Auerbach about his time in Boston. In the next part of the book, Maxwell discusses his broadcasting career during the Pierce, Allen, and Garnett era, where they won the 2008 championship with new head coach Doc Rivers, whose coaching style was much different from what Maxwell was used to. Finally, he talks about the current Celtics and the future, praising how great he believes Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will become. He also praises Danny Ainge for the trade that sent an aging Garnett and Pierce to the Nets in exchange for some players, but more importantly, the three first-round picks that turned into Tatum and Brown, setting the Celtics up to win the championship in 2024.
What I enjoyed about this book was Maxwell's storytelling and first-hand experiences with some of the greatest figures in basketball, including Larry Bird, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Red Auerbach, and Danny Ainge, as well as new stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The experiences Maxwell shares are intriguing for any Celtics fan who may never get the chance to meet these legends. I think the character development was strong, too. I got a good sense of how coaches like K.C. Jones and Bill Fitch differed—Fitch was very hard on the players, while Jones, being a former Celtics player himself, was more of a "players' coach." I also appreciated the images included, which helped put a face to the names Maxwell mentioned. This is an underrated touch in the book.
What didn’t work for me was that the book could be confusing at times. There were moments when I wasn’t sure who was speaking or what exactly was happening. Also, some parts felt stretched out or repeated unnecessarily. But overall, I really enjoyed the book and would definitely recommend it to any Celtics fan, whether old or young.
November 27, 2022
Cedric Maxwell’s book “If These Walls Could Talk: Boston Celtics: Stories from the Boston Celtics Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box” presents some interesting anecdotes from the Celtics’ history from the late 1970’s to the present day. The book is written from Maxwell’s perspective and features much biographical information about his career.
As the NBA team with the most championships, the Celtics have many successful moments and memorable accomplishments. This book highlights some of those moments and accomplishments, and also focuses on some of the better players, coaches and general managers from this time period. Maxwell writes about Red Auerbach, Bill Fitch, Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and many others. He also writes about some of his memories as a Celtics’ player during the 8 years that he spent with the team.
Maxwell describes the 1981 post season, in which the Celtics defeated their rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, and later won the title by beating the Houston Rockets. The excitement and drama of the series is recounted well by Maxwell.
Maxwell also writes about the difference that head coach Doc Rivers made in helping the Celtics win the 2007 NBA championship. General manager Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and signed Ray Allen to a team that had Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins. Plus, the Celtics were able to draft Rajon Rondo as well. The combination of Doc Rivers, the core of the team and those three additions helped the Celtics win the championship.
The decision to hire Brad Stevens is also discussed by Maxwell. Stevens was the right coach for the Celtics and he helped them to rebuild. Maxwell also shows a lot of respect for players Marcus Smart, Jaylon Brown and others.
I would recommend this book for someone who likes basketball or who likes the Boston Celtics.
As the NBA team with the most championships, the Celtics have many successful moments and memorable accomplishments. This book highlights some of those moments and accomplishments, and also focuses on some of the better players, coaches and general managers from this time period. Maxwell writes about Red Auerbach, Bill Fitch, Larry Bird, Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and many others. He also writes about some of his memories as a Celtics’ player during the 8 years that he spent with the team.
Maxwell describes the 1981 post season, in which the Celtics defeated their rivals, the Philadelphia 76ers, and later won the title by beating the Houston Rockets. The excitement and drama of the series is recounted well by Maxwell.
Maxwell also writes about the difference that head coach Doc Rivers made in helping the Celtics win the 2007 NBA championship. General manager Danny Ainge traded for Kevin Garnett and signed Ray Allen to a team that had Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins. Plus, the Celtics were able to draft Rajon Rondo as well. The combination of Doc Rivers, the core of the team and those three additions helped the Celtics win the championship.
The decision to hire Brad Stevens is also discussed by Maxwell. Stevens was the right coach for the Celtics and he helped them to rebuild. Maxwell also shows a lot of respect for players Marcus Smart, Jaylon Brown and others.
I would recommend this book for someone who likes basketball or who likes the Boston Celtics.
March 3, 2022
As a fan of the Boston Celtics and having grown up watching the 80s teams with Cedric Maxwell, I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, it fell a little flat. While the 80s teams with Bird, McHale, Parish, and all of the others are covered, I found a lot of the stories a rehash of what has been covered before. Stories of Max’s post career were actually a better part of the book, which I found very entertaining.
My biggest problem however with this book is the number of missing words, typos, and pure grammatical structure. Whoever was responsible for proofreading this book should be fired. Yes, it’s that bad.
If you want to read about Mr. Maxwell, you’ll probably be entertained, but there are much better “written” books about the 1980s Celtics teams that are much better than this one.
My biggest problem however with this book is the number of missing words, typos, and pure grammatical structure. Whoever was responsible for proofreading this book should be fired. Yes, it’s that bad.
If you want to read about Mr. Maxwell, you’ll probably be entertained, but there are much better “written” books about the 1980s Celtics teams that are much better than this one.
December 20, 2021
Man, I could not put this book down! I've been a lifelong Celtics fan, but wasn't born until 1994 so it awesome to hear stories from the man himself.
I grew up listening to stories from my father about how dominant the Celtics were during the 60's and 80's and how real the rivalry was between the Purple & Gold and Green Team, but to hear from someone like Cedric Maxwell brings a whole different level of realness.
I didn't think it was possible, but after reading this book, I'm even more dedicated to the Celtics than I was before.
Man, well done Cedric!
I grew up listening to stories from my father about how dominant the Celtics were during the 60's and 80's and how real the rivalry was between the Purple & Gold and Green Team, but to hear from someone like Cedric Maxwell brings a whole different level of realness.
I didn't think it was possible, but after reading this book, I'm even more dedicated to the Celtics than I was before.
Man, well done Cedric!
July 22, 2025
The author of this book, Cedric Maxwell, played for the Celtics in the 80s and played with and against so many great players… and boy does he not let you forget it. Comes off a little braggy sometimes but can I really be mad about it if I chose to read HIS book. Still a great guy, had a few laugh out loud moments, and a lot of great stories. A good amount of typos though which was weird
April 24, 2022
Somewhat crude reminiscences by the Celtics
player and current radio broadcaster. Green fans
will not be surprised by any revelations.
Does Max mention he was NBA '81 Finals MVP?
At least thirty-one times !
player and current radio broadcaster. Green fans
will not be surprised by any revelations.
Does Max mention he was NBA '81 Finals MVP?
At least thirty-one times !
November 7, 2022
OK. The early part of this book, while Maxwell was on the Celtics team, was interesting. Later parts, where he pontificates on various topics and discusses his career as a broadcaster, not so interesting.
February 11, 2024
Awesome book! I love Cornbread but it felt like he had an axe to grind still with the Celtics and how he's viewed versus how Larry Bird is viewed. These personal feelings affected the latter part a bit but it's still a must-read for C's fans!
May 10, 2022
Great stories but littered with grammatical errors.
July 10, 2022
Some good nuggets in here. Wish it was a bit more focused on Max's playing career but I liked it.
August 19, 2022
Max never misses an opportunity to tell the reader how great he was!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews