NBA Finals beef: Draymond Green vs. Cedric Maxwell - Why Warriors' star and Celtics' legend are arguing

A very unexpected beef has started in the NBA Finals — Draymond Green vs. Cedric Maxwell.

Since Game 2, Green and Maxwell have gone back and forth in the media engaging in a war of words about the current NBA and the past era of the league. Maxwell's stance is that the NBA used to be much more physical. Green on the other hand, finds the whole critique ludicrous.

Here's a quick breakdown of the verbose battle of Green and Maxwell.

Who is Cedric Maxwell?

Cedric Maxwell is a certified Celtics legend.

He played for the Celtics from 1977-1985 and was a member of Boston's 1981 and 1984 championship teams. Maxwell even won Finals MVP in 1981 and had his No. 31 retired by the Celtics in 2003. 

Currently, Maxwell offers color commentary during Celtics games as the team's radio analyst. He's been in the role since 2001.

What did Cedric Maxwell say about Draymond Green?

After Game 2, Maxwell and NBA legend Gary Payton were talking about Green's brief skirmish with Jaylen Brown that almost led to technical fouls. Maxwell was aghast about the whole incident.

MORE: Draymond Green escapes ejection in Game 2

Because according to Maxwell, back in his day, Green would've gotten knocked out for his actions.

Here's what Maxwell said about Green:

“Let me just say this to you, and I am going to be as clear as I can. That [expletive] Draymond was doing? During the 1980s, he’d got knocked the [expletive] out.”

What did Draymond Green say in response to Cedric Maxwell?

Maxwell's remark really angered Green. In fact, it riled him up and caused him to go off on an extremely long-winded rant in a press conference on Tuesday before Game 3.

Here's video of Green's over three minute diatribe:

Here it is, in it's entirety:

"No, I think it just comes from growing up in Saginaw, playing at Vets Park, playing at the Civitan Recreation Center. Obviously, growing up I watched guys like Gary Payton, Rasheed Wallace. I watched all those guys and how they went about their business. Dennis Rodman. Seeing those guys over the years, and I have a huge appreciation for Uncle Oak, how he enforced things.

That's a part of the game. That is a skill.

I have a huge appreciation for those guys. I saw what Cedric Maxwell said.

One thing that baffles me about the '80s or the '90s, or whenever you want to call it when basketball was so much more physical, is some of the guys that be talking weren't the guys that were 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 foul you and get thrown out 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 guy, just because they played in the '80s, just because they played in the '90s, is like, man, if you played in our day, you'd get knocked out. No, not really, because it wouldn't be you.

Okay, so 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 of that time? Of course. Would they have knocked you out? Of course. Their fine was also $2. It's just not the same day and age. If I go knock somebody out, I probably get fined a million dollars. It just don't work the same.

When guys get to making these comparisons or talking about, oh, if you played in this day and age, like yeah. And if you played in this day and age you would have had to be way more skilled than you were. It's just different.

Comparing the physicality of 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. You know, 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. Like, yeah, guys did shoot better and more. But that don't mean you shot that well.

So it just baffles me when guys get out here talking and they ain't got -- we got YouTube. You can pull up them highlights and they ain't got no YouTube fights. You see them on the court getting bullied, but they talking about you ain't got punched in the face. These people be killing me."

What was Cedric Maxwell's response to Draymond Green's comments?

Like those YouTube videos where people react to reaction videos, Maxwell had a response to Green's response.

Tuesday night on NBC Sports Boston, Maxwell was asked about Green's comments. Similar to Green, the former Celtic found the whole back-and-forth amusing. 

Maxwell, however, did issue a homework assignment for Green as he ended the segment by telling the Warriors big man to "ask your daddy who I was."

"Draymond wasn't even born when I was playing!"

Cedric Maxwell reacts to Draymond Green's comments about him 😂 pic.twitter.com/67H82Ao8ji

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) June 8, 2022

Here's Maxwell's response to Green:

"It's not about Draymond Green and I. I was just pointing out that in the '80s, there were some guys like Kermit Washington, there was Hakeem Olajuwon, there were a bunch of guys that were mean tough guys. And a lot of the shenanigans going on in the game right now with Draymond, that wouldn't have been tolerated during the '80s. Gary Payton, he identified, he said that."

"I understand what Draymond's saying. But he keeps saying no one punched nobody. You ask Charles Barkley what happened when he and I got in a fight when I was in LA, with the Clippers."

"Draymond was even born when I was playing. Let me do the math here. Draymond, ask your daddy who I was."

With the series shifting to Boston, Game 3 on Wednesday just got even more interesting. 

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