This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 5/31/2012.
Prior to the 1980-81 season, Red Auerbach strengthened an already powerful Celtics team that featured Larry Bird, Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell and Nate Archibald by pulling off deals to acquire Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, a 7-foot-1 center who combined strength, agility and remarkable endurance. Together, “The Big Three” of Parish, McHale and Bird formed one of the greatest front lines in NBA history. In the 1981 playoffs, after sweeping the Chicago Bulls in the Conference Semifinals, the Celtics would once again face Julius Erving and the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Finals. The series was a rematch of the previous season’s Conference Finals; this season the Celtics were hoping for a different outcome after losing the previous year’s series in 5 games. The Celtics replicated their 1968 playoff comeback in the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games after trailing 1-3. The ‘81 Finals would match the Celtics up against Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets, a sixth seed team that surprised the defending champion Lakers to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. After two games, the series was tied with each team having won a game by a single basket. Game 3 saw the Celtics dominate the Rockets with a 23-point victory in front of Houston’s home crowd. Houston tied the series in Game 4 behind a 28-point outing by Mike Dunleavy. After a 29-point blowout in Game 5, the Celtics had the Rockets on their heels. Boston finished off Houston with a 11-point victory in Game 6, giving the franchise their 14th NBA Championship. Parish’s first season in Boston ended with him being crowned an NBA Champion and over the next decade he would become one of the NBA's most dominant centers and a Top 50 Player. This size 12.5, 14k gold players ring weighs 35 grams and was presented to Hall of Famer Robert Parish after the Celtics defeated the Rockets in the ‘81 Finals, the first of three championships that Parish won during his 14-season tenure in Boston. The top panel reads “NBA WORLD CHAMPIONS” surrounding a large .50-carat round-cut diamond that sits atop a green synthetic stone. The right panel features a banner engraved with the player name “PARISH” above a green enameled clover in relief. The clover features the team name “CELTICS” and “XIV”, denoting the team’s 14th championship. Adjacent below is a small engraving that reads “PRIDE”. The left panel reads “1981” and features a green enameled official NBA logo in relief. Adjacent below is a small engraving bearing the word “TEAMWORK”. The inside of the ring is stamped “BALFOUR 14K”. The ring is in NRMT condition with light wear and comes with a LOA from Robert Parish.