The prelude to the 1980-81 season brought big changes for the Celtics franchise. Boston owned the No. 1 pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, which they sent with the No. 13 pick to the Golden State Warriors for Robert Parish and the No. 3 selection. Boston then used the No. 3 pick to select Kevin McHale. Later, in training camp, Dave Cowens stunned the club by announcing his retirement. Even without Cowens, however, the Celtics had all the pieces in place: Larry Bird, Maxwell, and Parish up front; Ford and Archibald at the guard positions; and a deep bench that included McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey, and ML Carr. Boston and Philadelphia battled all season for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and the Celtics’ win over the 76ers on the final day gave them the title with a 62-20 record. The two teams faced off in the Eastern Conference Finals. Behind Julius Erving, Philadelphia took the lead after four games, but Boston evened the series with back-to-back two-point wins in Games 5 and 6. Bird nailed a jump shot late in Game 7 to give the Celtics a 91-90 victory and a trip to the Finals. Boston faced an upstart Houston squad in the Finals. The Rockets, who had finished the regular season with a 40-42 record, had somehow emerged victorious from the Western Conference. Behind center Moses Malone, Houston put up a surprisingly tough fight, but the Celtics came away with yet another championship banner. It was the first of the Larry Bird era, but not the last.
In his capacity as Celtics General Manger Red Auerbach received this 1981 Celtics Championship ring. It features Auerbach's name on one of its shanks, above a green enameled clover with the inlaid lettering, "XIV CELTICS" (signifying the franchise's 14th NBA championship). Located on the opposite side is a green enameled NBA logo and the year "1981." The words "TEAMWORK" and "PRIDE" anchor the bottom edge of these shank panels. Around the perimeter of the face appears "N.B.A. WORLD CHAMPIONS" in raised lettering, encompassing a green stone with a diamond in the center. Stamped inside the band is “Balfour 14k”. The ring presents beautifully with moderate evidence of having been proudly worn by the great Red Auerbach. Size: 11. Includes a letter of provenance from the Auerbach estate.