coaches like Red Auerbach displayed the ultimate thug persona, where he would confidently sit on the bench and light up his victory cigar once he knew the game was comfortably in his team’s favor.

I went up to Red and said ... member of a winning team was part of the Auerbach mystique. Larry Bird smokes one of Auerbach's traditional victory cigars after winning the 1981 NBA title.

Few images loom larger in the mythology of the Boston Celtics than legendary head coach Red Auerbach lighting up a victory ...