Cedric Maxwell, who played for the Celtics in the 80s, recently made a comment about Draymond Green, saying that he would be ‘knocked out’ in his era. The Warriors forward had something to say about that.
“I saw what Cedric Maxwell said,” the three-time NBA champion went on a rant. “You know what, one thing that baffles me about the 80s and the 90s or whatever you want to call when basketball was so much more physical and some of the guys that be talking weren’t the guys that was punching people. They act like guys was just walking around the court, like, ‘I’m hitting this guy in the nose.’
“There were a few guys back then that would lay you out, that would knock you out, that would follow you and get thrown out of the game — Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn. But everybody running around acting like they were that. Y’all were getting bullied.
“So, it baffles me when every guys just because they played in the 80s, just because they played in the 90s, is, like, ‘Man, if you played in our day, you get knocked out.’ No, not really because it wouldn’t be you. So, okay you’re saying Rick Mahorn would have knocked me out. Rick Mahorn probably knocks you out. Bill Laimbeer probably lays you out.
“So, were there enforcers from that time? Of course. Would they have knocked you out? Of course. Their fine was also two dollars. It’s just not the same day and age. If I go knock somebody out, I probably could be fined a million dollars. It’s just don’t work the same.
“When guys get to making these comparisons or talking about ‘Oh, if you played in his day and age,’ like, yeah, if you would have played in this day and age you would have to be way more skilled than you were. It’s just different.
“Like comparing the physicality to the game and everybody acting like they were just the most physical and brutal enforcers. It’s like everybody acting like they shoot the ball like Steph Curry today.
“It’s like then it was physical, now it’s shooting. Everybody can’t shoot the ball. Imagine me in 20 years, like, ‘Man, if you played in my day, you had to shoot.’ Yeah, guys did shoot better and more, but that don’t mean you shot that well.”
