To the players, it's won and done

An NBA championship ring is beautiful, not only for its appearance but for what it represents. Most players never own one. So Larry Bird probably stares at his three gorgeous rings all the time, right?

"They're, uh, I think they're in a barn somewhere," the Hall of Famer said. "I haven't seen them in, I don't know. I think my wife can find them. But I know we have a cabinet somewhere in the garage.

"Eventually I'm going to give them to the Hall of Fame or something because they're just like old pieces of stuff. It's nice to see them sometimes. But after you get 'em, they're kind of a pain to keep up with."

Thirteen Celtics will receive their first NBA championship rings prior to tonight's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Banknorth Garden. The team's league-best 17th championship banner will be raised to the rafters before a sold-out crowd in ceremonies expected to last about 15 minutes.

After the Celtics disposed of the Lakers to win the title last June, Kevin Garnett cried, Paul Pierce screamed in satisfaction while holding his MVP trophy, and Ray Allen held his young son, Walker, on the postgame stage. Sure, the ring ceremony will be nice, but the Big Three & Co. will be antsy for the game to start, and the emotions won't be nearly what they were when they hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy last spring.

The players surely will be thinking, "Thanks for coming, Commissioner Stern, but please take your seat because it's time to play." The fact that LeBron James has decided that his team will stay in the locker room while the ceremony takes place will just add to KG's already extremely high intensity level.

"I really didn't care about [the ring ceremony]," Bird said. "My whole thing was to win it and the feeling you get right after you win it. Then you go all through the summer and have that first game at home and get your rings.

"The ring really didn't mean much to me. It's the idea that we won a championship. After it's all over, after the game, even after you eat and go home, you finally sit down and say, 'Why did I get up and get all worked up about this?' You didn't sleep for days. You're worn out.

"But the feeling you get right after the horn sounds, that's better than any ring that you'll ever put on your finger."

Celtics guard Sam Cassell spoke in sentimental fashion when asked about receiving his third championship ring tonight.

"I've been through it twice," said Cassell, who won his first two titles with Houston in 1994 and '95. "But Ray, Paul, Ticket [Garnett] - especially Ticket - Leon [Powe], guys like that get a ring. It's something that money can't buy. I'm pretty sure some people can afford it. But you can't buy it. You have to earn this."

So as special as those rings are for Cassell, where are they now? In a safety deposit box in Baltimore. And come Thursday, those rings will have some new company and some fresh air for the first time in 13 years.

"I will wear it Tuesday when I get it and it will be in a safety deposit box Thursday morning back in Baltimore," Cassell said. "The last time I saw my rings was 13 years ago when I put the second one in the safety deposit box. I haven't seen them since.

"I'm still playing. So once I'm retired, I'll take them out of my safety deposit box and put them in a safe in my house."

Don't be surprised if Garnett, Allen, and Pierce enjoy their rings only briefly before locking them away. Last season, the only time ex-Celtic James Posey wore his 2006 championship ring from the Heat was at his introductory press conference and when Boston played at Miami.

NBA players have numerous reasons to put their rings away quickly. There is a fear that it could be stolen. They may not want to invite attention or questions by wearing such eye-catching bling, bling. Maybe they couldn't care less about them, like Bird.

Or maybe it's because everyone from Garnett to Gabe Pruitt won't need that ring to prove they're a champion. Ring or no ring, they'll always be remembered for being on that team, whether a star or bench warmer.

Asked if the ceremony is a distraction, Bird said, "It is. There are a lot of people there. A lot of old Celtics. The raising of the banner. There's still a game. You've still got to perform. The ring ceremony was really not that much [fun]. Winning was pretty good."

On the contrary, there are numerous Celtics employees - ones who didn't score a basket, design a play, or tape an ankle - who can't wait to get their rings. They're people like longtime vice president of media relations Jeff Twiss, who is getting his fourth ring; Francis O'Bryant, a former ballboy from the early 1970s turned operations liaison; coach Doc Rivers's secretary, Annemarie Loflin, who was there for the bad times when he was fired in Orlando; and there are many countless others, including 16 ballboys.

Tonight is truly their celebration. The rings are a testament that they, too, had a hand in getting that banner put up in the rafters. They will have a sense of appreciation every time they slip that ring on their finger.

As for the players, they're ready for tip-off and King James, so make it snappy.

"Being in the job I am in now, I see it in a different perspective than as a player," said Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, whose two championship rings with the franchise are in a safety deposit box. "There are so many people that help you win and play a part in the organization. We now have a perspective how many people live and die with every shot and game and how many people invest their souls in the team.

"From the players' perspective, they want to play the game. They have to play the Cavs, who want to take their head off. From my perspective, it's a reflection on how many people play a part of the team.

"Quite honestly, from a basketball player's and coach's mind, let's play basketball now and get it over with."

Marc J. Spears can be reached at mspears@globe.com