Much has gone into the making of Cedric Maxwell, the very efficient power forward for the Celtics who emerged as one of the NBA’s superstars with his brilliance in the playoffs.
Author Archives: bobkuska
Don Nelson: Respect, 1991
Nelson’s mind, always active, always involved, sometimes moves in surprising directions.
Earl Strom: NBA’s Oldest Referee Does It His Way, 1982
Earl Strom officiates with his whistle in his hand. His partner, Joe Gushue, wore his on a lanyard. Strom suggested that Gushue remove the lanyard before they reach the exit, so that fans couldn’t get such an easy hold of him.
Bill Willoughby: Playing One-on-None, 1990
Trouble with agents, trouble with coaches, trouble with people to whom he gave his trust has accompanied Willoughby throughout his basketball career like a persistent little sister.
Red Holzman: A Humpty-Dumpty Situation, 1968
Holzman knows the game of basketball. And he probably knows it better now than back in 1957, when St. Louis fired him after a losing record.
Rap with Earl Monroe, 1972
As far as me changing the style of play of basketball, I think my style is basically just the style of about every Black player in America today. As you know, most Black players are, more or less, playground players, and this is just about the basic style that I play.
Philadelphia 76ers: A Touch of Class, 1968
Pat Williams is a 28-year-old promotional whiz kid the 76ers stole out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ farm system.
Red Auerbach: Hothead on the Boston Bench, 1956
As provincial as the next town, Boston likes winning teams, and although the Celtics have been close many times, they’ve never taken the big prize. Some critics say it is Auerbach’s fault.
Pistol Pete: Just a Simple Man with Simple Ideals, 1974
This is what eats at Maravich’s brain. “Pistol” basketball is different, he calls it “futuristic.”
Pistol Pete Maravich Fires Back, 1975
There is a sparkle in his eye that is the tipoff that the Hawks may have provided Maravich with a cause. And that’s the last thing you’d want to do for a man with this kind of talent.
From Way Downtown 