1980–81 Boston Celtics season

Despite losing center Dave Cowens to retirement late in training camp, the Celtics went on to capture the 1981 NBA Championship over the Houston Rockets.

The highlight was that this championship was achieved just two years after Larry Bird had been drafted.

After the 1979–80 season, Auerbach completed what may be the most lopsided trade in NBA history.

Auerbach saw an opportunity to improve the team immediately, sending the two picks to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for center Robert Parish and the Warriors first round pick, the 3rd overall, University of Minnesota power forward Kevin McHale.

[1] Roster Notes Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average