Cedric Maxwell versus A Fan

Much as I hate to miss documenting another loss by the New Jersey Nyets -- which as Basketbawful reader winnetou pointed out set a Nyets franchise record for consecutive home losses -- I just wasn't able to make it through today's Worst of the Night post. Blame Microsoft for auto-updating my computer in the kind of way that made it not work. Hey, Bill Gates...this middle finger is for you.

To partially make it up to you, here's a fun little video I've never posted before. Long before Ron Artest jumped into the Detroit crowd, Cedric Maxwell was taking fans the hell out. The best part -- other the fact that this happened during Game 6 of one of the greatest playoff series of all time -- is that the fan appeared to throw something at Cornbread without illiciting a response. Then he said something that caused Max to turn back and put him down.

I'm guessing whatever he said was, ahem, racially motivated.


I did a little research into this, and apparently the fan stabbed Maxwell with a pencil. That's not cool. The funny thing is, I remember watching this as a kid and thinking nothing of it, other than that Philly fans must be assholes.

Here's an excerpt about the incident from the May 4, 1981 edition of the Boston Globe:

"Cedric Maxwell got the bad news yesterday. His run-in with a Philadelphia fan last Friday night during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals at the Spectrum will cost him $2500.

The National Basketball Assn. announced the fine yesterday against Maxwell, who charged into the stands and shoved a middle-aged man whose remarks he apparently took exception to. The incident occurred early in the third period of the game at Philadelphia on May 1. Maxwell was trying to get position under the Celtics backboard and was shoved out of bounds by Darryl Dawkins of the 76ers.

The momentum of Dawkins' shove carried Maxwell into the lap of a fan who was cheerleading in front of his front-row seat. Maxwell picked himself up and headed back to the court. Suddenly, he stopped and went back to charge the man, who was knocked over his chair. The fan was not identified.

"Regardless of the provocation," NBA Comr. Larry O'Brien commented from New York, "players must avoid confrontations with the fans in the stands, and any player engaging in similar conduct in the future will have even more severe penalties."

Maxwell was not available for comment.

Well, O'Brien sure was right about the "more severe penalties" part.