Max On Felger & Mazz: Celtics Never Turned Up Heat On Lakers In 1984
BOSTON (CBS) – There's never a lack of entertainment when Cedric Maxwell calls into Felger & Mazz.
The Celtics radio analyst called in to 98.5 The Sports Hub's afternoon show on Friday, and doesn't understand all the criticism of LeBron James for leaving last night's Game 1 of the NBA Finals late in the fourth quarter with cramps.
Max said LeBron's cramps had nothing to do with the heat in the AT&T Center in San Antonio, which did not have any air conditioning last night. It all came down to LeBron's hydration.
"It was very simple. I think he played well and then he cramped up. I'm not sure why you find it to be so unbelievable that a guy can cramp up," said Max. "I don't think the heat had anything to do with it. Basically he was just not hydrated. I've seen guys play like that before.
"Once you start cramping a lot of the time you're not getting that cramp out," added Max. "It's more about hydration. If it was the heat, then everybody on the court would have had the same kind of cramps."
The whole situation brought back memories of the 1984 NBA Finals, when the Lakers accused the Celtics of turning up the heat in their locker room during Game 5. Max laughed it off when Felger brought it up.
"Before you get started, you're telling me about them turning up the heat. They didn't turn up the heat; it was hot outside. There was no heat to turn up," said Max. "The building did not have air conditioning. There was no heat to turn up in the building. It was a 90 degree day in Boston, and once fans start coming into the building it gets hotter."
Max says it's crazy to think Red Auerbach or anyone from the Celtics organization had the heat turned up in the L.A. locker room.
"No, they didn't turn the heat up. You guys really don't remember this; it was hot all over Boston that day," he said. "In our locker room, it was hot too. We even had to change over our uniforms to get dry uniforms. Because we were home we got dry uniforms, but it had nothing to do with people turning up the heat in the building."
Listen to the full interview below to find out why Max was calling Felger & Mazz "idiots" by the end:
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