1975–76 Buffalo Braves season
Encyclopedia
The 1975–76 Buffalo Braves season was the sixth season for the expansion
Buffalo Braves
franchise in the National Basketball Association
and its Atlantic Division
. It was the team's fourth season under head coach
Jack Ramsay
. The team's official home arena was Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
.
Bob McAdoo led the league in scoring for the third consecutive year with 31.1 points per game. It was the third year in a row that the Braves made the playoffs. The Braves had a record of 46-36. In the playoffs the Braves wound up against the Philadelphia 76ers
. The series went the full three games but the Braves found themselves on the road for Game 3. The Braves emerged victorious in overtime with a hard-fought 124–123 victory. It was the first playoff series win for the franchise. In the second round of the playoffs, the Braves and Boston Celtics
would once again battle. After four games, the series was even at two wins each. Once again the Celtics would take the series in six games.
The season was marked in controversy. Ernie DiGregorio
was benched and McAdoo was suspended. Following the season the Braves allowed coach Jack Ramsay
to depart for the head coaching job with the Portland Trail Blazers
. The team did not resign its auditorium lease and went through the season without a contract. Subsequently the team was sold, the city sued and the sale was not consummated.
and no players drafted by the team that year played for the 1975–76 Buffalo. 1974 NBA Draft
pick Tom McMillen played for a year in Europe before joining the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves. McMillen played in the Italian League for a team in Bologna, Italy and completed the first year of his Rhodes Scholarship
at Oxford University. However, he reached an agreement with Oxford to complete his second year during the summer in order to begin his National Basketball Association
career. McMillen only played basketball in Italy on the weekends.
of the American Basketball Association
. Bob McAdoo had 29 points in the contest in Indianapolis
but the Pacers won, 106-105. On October 11, 15,000 fans attended the Braves' home game against the ABA's New York Nets. The Braves held New York's star Julius Erving
to 16 points but the Nets prevailed 109-83. On October 14 the Braves traveled to Louisville, Kentucky
to face the ABA's Kentucky Colonels
. The Colonels won, 120-116. Two nights later on October 16, 1975 the Braves hit the road to face the ABA's San Antonio Spurs
. Bob McAdoo had 22 points and 16 rebounds but the Spurs won 101-90 behind 22 points each for James Silas and George Gervin
. The very next night the Braves again faced the New York Nets, this time at Seton Hall University
in New Jersey
. Bob McAdoo scored 31 points but the Nets won 117-97. The Braves closed out their preseason exhibition schedule with a record of 0-5 against ABA teams.
on waivers to the Kansas City Kings. Paul Ruffner
did not return to play for the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves and never again played in the NBA. On November 20, 1975, Steve Kuberski
was waived. On November 27, 1975, Jack Marin
was traded to the Chicago Bulls
for a 1977 NBA Draft
1st round pick. On February 1, 1976, Gar Heard
was dealt with a 1976 NBA Draft
2nd round pick to the Phoenix Suns
for John Shumate
. After the season, the Braves sent Ken Charles
and Dick Gibbs
and cash to the Atlanta Hawks
for Tom Van Arsdale
. Van Arsdale never played for the Braves who traded him in August to the Phoenix Suns
for a 1977 NBA Draft
2nd round pick.
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #E23B45; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Buffalo Braves 1975–76 roster
|- style="background-color: #106BB4; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
|-
Shumate, who played 43 games for Phoenix and 32 for Buffalo led the NBA in field goal percentage (56.1) and earned first team All-rookie honors. DiGregorio, who played 67 games posted a 91.5% (86/94) free throw percentage, which would have been second to Rick Barry
's 92.3 if he had posted a qualifying number of attempts. Marin, who played 12 games for the Braves before being traded, finished 9th in the NBA in free throw percentage (85.6%). McMillian ranked 3rd in field goal percentage (53.6%) and 8th in free throw percentage (85.8). Randy Smith
, who played all 82 games for the fourth consecutive season, represented Buffalo in the 1976 NBA All-Star Game
and earned 2nd team All-NBA honors. Smith ranked third in steals per game (2.5), fourth in assists per game (6.5), seventh in points per game (21.8) and ninth in minutes per game (38.6). Smith's speed was a difference maker on the Braves' fast breaks. McAdoo appeared in the third of five consecutive NBA All-Star games and placed second in the MVP voting despite not making the All-NBA team that included centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
and Dave Cowens
. McAdoo led the winning east team in scoring with 22 points in the All-Star game, but Dave Bing
was selected as MVP. Over the course of the season he made both the most field goals and most free throws in the NBA. He led the league in minutes played (42.7) and points per game (31.1) while ranking seventh in rebound average (12.4) and sixth in blocks per game (2.1).
October–December
As the season began, the Braves refused to sign the lease terms for Memorial Auditorium because Braves owner Paul Snyder felt it was unfair for the Braves to be held to different terms than their co-tenant, the Buffalo Sabres
. Although the Buffalo Common Council
had approved a lease in July, the Braves entered the season without an agreement.
During the November 14 game at Milwaukee a bench-clearing brawl
erupted as a result of an incident between Bucks Gary Brokaw
and Bob Dandridge
and Brave Dick Gibbs
. The following week McAdoo broke the Cleveland Coliseum single-game scoring record by posting 50 points in a 23-point deficit come-from-behind overtime victory. He surpassed his own 49 point performance the prior year at the Coliseum; both games were against his friend Jim Chones
. On December 2, 1974 NBA Rookie of the Year DiGregorio was benched in favor of Charles for the sake of team defense. In Charles' first start, he led the team in scoring with a career-high 24 on the way to the franchise record 37-point December 5 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In late December, McAdoo was suspended by the team for failing to make a doctor's appointment as the Braves claimed his self-diagnosed back injury was dubious.
January–February
The Braves began the new year by playing in three consecutive one-point contests, first splitting with the New York Knicks
on January 2 and January 3, and then defeating the Los Angeles Lakers
on January 6. All games were won by the home team. The Braves established an all-sport all-time attendance record for Memorial Auditorium of 19,226 on January 31 when they hosted the Boston Celtics
. That night, John Havlicek
became the NBAs fourth leading scorer, surpassing Elgin Baylor
. The day before the game the Braves had reached an agreement on sharing playing dates with the Sabres and decided not to attempt to leave town. On February 1 during the All-star break, the Braves dealt Heard for Shumate. At the time the Braves had a 30–20 record and they would go 16–16 for the rest of the season. During the February 3, 1976 NBA All-Star Game, Smith scored 8 points, while McAdoo had a game-high 22. McAdoo contributed to a key fourth quarter spurt that propelled the East to victory.
March–April
As the season wound down, the Braves were battling with the Philadelphia 76ers
for home court advantage in the opening round series. The Braves defeated the Celtics twice in the final two weeks to even their season series at three games a piece while winning five of their last seven games. The Braves were scheduled to host the New York Knicks
on April 6, but when the Buffalo Sabres
qualified for the 1976 Stanley Cup playoffs, the National Hockey League
scheduled the Sabres to be the home team on the same date. When the Braves set a $25,000 price tag on the date, the Sabres swapped home game dates with the St. Louis Blues and lost on St. Louis in a best of three series on that date.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Atlantic Division
! Team !! W !! L !! PCT. !! GB
|-
| align="left" | Boston Celtics
C || 54 || 28 || .659 || -
|-
| align="left" | Buffalo Braves
|| 46 || 36 || .561 || 8
|-
| align="left" | Philadelphia 76ers
|| 46 || 36 || .561 || 8
|-
| align="left" | New York Knicks
|| 38 || 44 || .463 || 16
|}
|
Source: www.basketball-reference.com
, McMillian boosted his 15.8 points per game to 17.2, and Smith also boosted his production to 8.6 assists per game, which led the league, while contributing 22.6 points. For the second year in a row, McAdoo led the league in minutes per game in the playoffs (45.1), while posting 28.0 points per game.
First round
The Braves concluded the regular season tied with the Philadelphia 76ers
for fourth place in the Eastern Conference
with a 46–36 record. The Braves lost the regular season series with the 76ers 4 games to 3 giving Philadelphia home court advantage for the three-game Eastern Conference First Round series between the conference's fourth and fifth place teams. During the series, the road team won each of the three games including the final game, which Buffalo won 124–123 in overtime.
In the first round, the Braves won the first game 95–89 on 36 points from McAdoo and 6 points from McMillian in the final 1:23. Although the Braves led most of the way, it took a three-point play by McAdoo with 4:37 left to give them the lead for good at 87–85. George McGinnis
posted 34 points as the 76ers evened the series with a 131–106 victory in game 2. The Braved clinched game 3 in overtime
as McAdoo scored two free throws to tie the game in regulation and two more with 17 seconds left in overtime as Buffalo won 124–123. The game included clutch shots by Shumate and a strong shooting performance by Smith. Philadelphia took the lead in the first quarter and did not relinquish it until the McMillian gave the Braves a 95–94 lead with 8:11 remaining in regulation. McGinnis had fouled out with 8:50 remaining. The Braves held the lead until Doug Collins
scored with 41 seconds left to tie the score at 109 and Fred Carter
gave Philadelphia a 111–109 lead with 6 seconds remaining. After a couple of offensive rebounds on their final possession Clyde Lee
fouled McAdoo who tied the score from the line. Shumate had 11 fourth quarter points and a pair of early overtime baskets. Smith gave the Braves the lead for good with 51 seconds left in overtime.
Second round
In the second round, the Braves opposed the Eastern Conference regular season champion Boston Celtics
in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The first five games of the series went to the home team and then Boston won game six in Buffalo to clinch the series.
Dave Cowens
accumulated 30 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in leading the Celtics past the Braves by a 107–98 margin in game 1. Although McAdoo scored 40 points in game 2 and the Celtics played without John Havlicek
, his replacements Don Nelson
and Steve Kuberski
stepped up to enable the Celtics to take a 2–0 lead in the series on a with a 101–96 victory. In game 3, the Braves won 98–93, as Smith scored 29 and McAdoo added 24, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Buffalo had fallen behind by 12 points after one quarter. Starter-turned-reserve DiGregorio entered the game in the second quarter with the Braves behind 32–22, but he posted 8 points and 5 assists in the quarter to spark a 21–4 surge that gave the team a 43–36 lead. He finished with 10 assists. In game 4, Smith made a 25-foot jump shot with three seconds remaining to give the Braves a 124–122 victory and tie the series 2–2. Havlicek, who missed games 2 through 4 with a foot injury, returned to help the Celtics win game 5 as Paul Silas
had 15 points and 22 rebounds and Cowens amassed 30 points and 16 rebounds. After a 32–32 tie, Cowens, who had 14 second quarter points, led the Celtics to a 46–36 halftime lead. The Braves closed to within 50–46, but the Celtics pulled away and took a 76–65 lead after three quarters. Although Charlie Scott
fouled out in the fourth quarter, so did McAdoo. In game 6, the Celtics led 30–27 after one quarter, but trailed 55–50 at the half and 78–77 after three quarters. At one point, 9 third quarter points by McMillian helped push Buffalo to a 9 point lead. Scott scored 13 of his game-high 31 points in the final quarter. Jo Jo White
had 23 points and Cowens had 10 points and 16 rebounds in the final game as the Celtics clinched the series 4–2 with a 104–100 victory.
|
Source: www.basketball-reference.com
and signed him to a two-year contract.
Snyder threatened to sell the Braves if they did not sell 5,000 season ticket
s by June 12, 1976. However the season ticket drive by the Chamber of Commerce
and other civic groups only resulted in 2,552 sales by the deadline date. In June 1976, Diplomat Hotel owner Irving Cowan obtained an option to purchase the Braves for $6.1 million, and planned to bring them to South Florida and the Hollywood Sportatorium
. Pledges of more than 8,000 season tickets were received in Florida. On June 15, Snyder announced the planned sale. The Wall Street Journal
estimated the sale price to be in the $7–8 million range. However, the next day the city of Buffalo
sued the Braves for breach of contract
and sought a restraining order
preventing the move. The suit was filed in New York Supreme Court
for seeking $10 million from the Braves and the NBA for breaking a promise to sign a new 15-year lease. Another suit was filed as an anti-trust case in United States district court
against the rest of the NBA seeking $48 million in damages in the event of a move. The anti-trust case alleged that the move was an attempt to eliminate competition against a future Toronto
NBA franchise and to discourage expansion of the American Basketball Association
to southern Florida. The damages arose as treble damages
related to a March 1 promise to sign a lease. Although Cowan claimed the move would still take place, the effort collapsed under the weight of the lawsuit and the Braves ended up signing a new lease with the city of Buffalo. In July, the Braves signed a new lease with the city for the Memorial Auditorium with the understanding that there was an ongoing effort to sell the team to local interests. The signing of the lease settled the lawsuits.
|+Legend
|-
!GP
|Games played
!MPG
|Minutes per game
!FG
|Field-goals
per game
!FGA
|Field-goals attempted per Game
|-
!FG%
|Field-goal percentage
!FT
|Free-throws
per game
!FTA
|Free-throws attempted per Game
!FT%
|Free-throw percentage
|-
!ORPG
|Offensive rebounds per game
!DRPG
|Defensive rebounds per game
!RPG
|Rebounds
per game
!APG
|Assists
per game
|-
!SPG
|Steals
per game
!BPG
|Blocks
per game
!PFPG
|Personal fouls per game
!PPG
|Points
per game
|}
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange" |Player
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange" |GP
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|MPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FGA
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FG%
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FT
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FTA
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FT%
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|ORPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|DRPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|RPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|APG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|SPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|BPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|PFPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|PPG
|-
| ||78||42.7||12||24.6||0.487||7.2||9.4||0.762||3.1||9.3||12.4||4||1.2||2.1||3.8||31.1
|-
| ||82||38.6||8.6||17.3||0.494||4.7||5.7||0.817||1.3||3.8||5.1||5.9||1.9||0||3.3||21.8
|-
| ||74||35.3||6.6||12.4||0.536||2.5||3||0.858||1.8||3.5||5.3||2.8||1.2||0.2||1.9||15.8
|-
| ||32||32.7||4.6||7.9||0.575||3||4.5||0.678||2.6||7.3||9.8||2||1.2||0.6||2.6||12.2
|-
| ||81||27.7||4||8.9||0.456||2||2.5||0.785||0.7||2||2.7||2.5||1.5||0.6||3.2||10.1
|-
| ||50||30.5||4.1||9.8||0.421||1.6||2.7||0.607||2.8||7.5||10.2||2.5||1.3||1.1||3.7||9.9
|-
| ||12||23.2||3.4||7.8||0.436||2.3||2.8||0.818||0.8||2.5||3.3||1.9||0.6||0.5||2.5||9.1
|-
| ||67||20.4||2.7||7.1||0.384||1.3||1.4||0.915||0.2||1.4||1.7||4||0.6||0||2.4||6.7
|-
| ||72||12||1.8||4.2||0.429||1.1||1.3||0.828||0.6||0.9||1.5||0.7||0.2||0.2||1.8||4.7
|-
| ||50||14.2||1.9||4.4||0.432||0.8||1.1||0.759||1.3||2.4||3.7||1.4||0.1||0.1||1.7||4.7
|-
| ||66||15.1||1.3||2.8||0.486||0.5||0.7||0.729||0.2||0.8||1||2.3||0.7||0.2||1.4||3.2
|-
| ||56||12.6||1.2||3||0.394||0.7||1||0.702||0.7||1.9||2.6||1.3||0.5||0.1||2.3||3.1
|-
| ||71||10.9||0.9||1.7||0.5||0.8||1.1||0.667||0.8||2.3||3.2||1.1||0.2||0.2||2||2.5
|-
| ||10||8.5||0.7||1.7||0.412||0.3||0.3||1||0.4||2.1||2.5||0.3||0.1||0.2||1||1.7
|-
| ||1||7||0||1||0||0||0||||1||0||1||1||0||0||0||0
|}
Expansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
Buffalo Braves
Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....
franchise in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
and its Atlantic Division
Atlantic Division (NBA)
The Atlantic Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Boston Celtics, the New Jersey Nets, the New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors...
. It was the team's fourth season under head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Jack Ramsay
Jack Ramsay
Jack T. Ramsay is an American former basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" . He is best known for coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Title, and for his broadcasting work with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, and for ESPN TV and ESPN Radio...
. The team's official home arena was Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo Memorial Auditorium was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Buffalo Stallions of MSL, the Buffalo Bandits of MILL, the Buffalo Blizzard of the second NPSL and the Buffalo...
.
Bob McAdoo led the league in scoring for the third consecutive year with 31.1 points per game. It was the third year in a row that the Braves made the playoffs. The Braves had a record of 46-36. In the playoffs the Braves wound up against the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
. The series went the full three games but the Braves found themselves on the road for Game 3. The Braves emerged victorious in overtime with a hard-fought 124–123 victory. It was the first playoff series win for the franchise. In the second round of the playoffs, the Braves and Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
would once again battle. After four games, the series was even at two wins each. Once again the Celtics would take the series in six games.
The season was marked in controversy. Ernie DiGregorio
Ernie DiGregorio
Ernest DiGregorio is a retired American National Basketball Association player.DiGregorio played on the 1968 Rhode Island champions at North Providence High School....
was benched and McAdoo was suspended. Following the season the Braves allowed coach Jack Ramsay
Jack Ramsay
Jack T. Ramsay is an American former basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" . He is best known for coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Title, and for his broadcasting work with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, and for ESPN TV and ESPN Radio...
to depart for the head coaching job with the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
. The team did not resign its auditorium lease and went through the season without a contract. Subsequently the team was sold, the city sued and the sale was not consummated.
Offseason
NBA Draft
The Braves had no selections during the first two rounds of the 1975 NBA Draft1975 NBA Draft
The 1975 NBA Draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 29, 1975 before the 1975–76 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
and no players drafted by the team that year played for the 1975–76 Buffalo. 1974 NBA Draft
1974 NBA Draft
The 1974 NBA Draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on May 28, 1974 before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
pick Tom McMillen played for a year in Europe before joining the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves. McMillen played in the Italian League for a team in Bologna, Italy and completed the first year of his Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
at Oxford University. However, he reached an agreement with Oxford to complete his second year during the summer in order to begin his National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
career. McMillen only played basketball in Italy on the weekends.
Exhibition games
On October 4, 1975, the Braves opened their preseason exhibition schedule against the Indiana PacersIndiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. Bob McAdoo had 29 points in the contest in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
but the Pacers won, 106-105. On October 11, 15,000 fans attended the Braves' home game against the ABA's New York Nets. The Braves held New York's star Julius Erving
Julius Erving
Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
to 16 points but the Nets prevailed 109-83. On October 14 the Braves traveled to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
to face the ABA's Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
. The Colonels won, 120-116. Two nights later on October 16, 1975 the Braves hit the road to face the ABA's San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. Bob McAdoo had 22 points and 16 rebounds but the Spurs won 101-90 behind 22 points each for James Silas and George Gervin
George Gervin
George "The Iceman" Gervin is a retired American professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls...
. The very next night the Braves again faced the New York Nets, this time at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Bob McAdoo scored 31 points but the Nets won 117-97. The Braves closed out their preseason exhibition schedule with a record of 0-5 against ABA teams.
Transactions
On October 14, 1975, the Braves lost Lee WinfieldLee Winfield
Leroy "Lee" Winfield was an American professional basketball player.A 6'2" guard from North Texas State University, Winfield played in the National Basketball Association from 1969 to 1976 as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics, Buffalo Braves, and Kansas City Kings. He averaged 7.3 points per...
on waivers to the Kansas City Kings. Paul Ruffner
Paul Ruffner
Paul Ruffner was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association....
did not return to play for the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves and never again played in the NBA. On November 20, 1975, Steve Kuberski
Steve Kuberski
Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA. Kuberski played nine NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Buffalo Braves, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 points per game. . Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Celtics, in 1973-74 and 1975-76...
was waived. On November 27, 1975, Jack Marin
Jack Marin
John Warren "Jack" Marin is a retired American professional basketball player. A 201 cm guard/forward from Duke University, Marin was named to the 1967 NBA All-Rookie Team and spent 11 seasons in the NBA , playing for the Baltimore Bullets, Houston Rockets, Buffalo Braves and Chicago Bulls...
was traded to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
for a 1977 NBA Draft
1977 NBA Draft
The 1977 NBA Draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 10, 1977 before the 1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
1st round pick. On February 1, 1976, Gar Heard
Gar Heard
Garfield "Gar" Heard, is a retired American professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics in the third round of the 1970 NBA Draft...
was dealt with a 1976 NBA Draft
1976 NBA Draft
The 1976 NBA Draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 8, 1976 before the 1976–77 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
2nd round pick to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
for John Shumate
John Shumate
John H. Shumate is a retired American professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns....
. After the season, the Braves sent Ken Charles
Ken Charles
Kenneth "Ken" M. Charles is a retired Trinidadian and Tobagonian basketball player who played guard for the Buffalo Braves and Atlanta Hawks...
and Dick Gibbs
Dick Gibbs (basketball)
Dick Gibbs is an American retired professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for five teams from 1971 to 1976, posting career averages of 5.2 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.Gibbs attended Ames High School and played on their basketball team in...
and cash to the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
for Tom Van Arsdale
Tom Van Arsdale
Thomas Arthur Van Arsdale is a former professional basketball player. A graduate of Indianapolis Emmerich Manual High School, the 6'5" guard played collegiately at Indiana University, Van Arsdale was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2nd round of the 1965 NBA Draft...
. Van Arsdale never played for the Braves who traded him in August to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
for a 1977 NBA Draft
1977 NBA Draft
The 1977 NBA Draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on June 10, 1977 before the 1977–78 season. In this draft, 22 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...
2nd round pick.
Roster
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #E23B45; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Buffalo Braves 1975–76 roster
|- style="background-color: #106BB4; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;"
! Players !! Coaches
|-
| valign="top" |
{| class="sortable" style="background:transparent; margin:0px; width:100%;"
! Pos. !! # !! Nat. !! Name !! Ht. !! Wt. !! From
|-
Regular season
The Braves went the entire season without a winning streak or losing streak exceeding six games. The Braves attendance decreased by nearly 50,000 to 418,696 in their 41 home games, and the team fell to 11th of 18 teams.Shumate, who played 43 games for Phoenix and 32 for Buffalo led the NBA in field goal percentage (56.1) and earned first team All-rookie honors. DiGregorio, who played 67 games posted a 91.5% (86/94) free throw percentage, which would have been second to Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
's 92.3 if he had posted a qualifying number of attempts. Marin, who played 12 games for the Braves before being traded, finished 9th in the NBA in free throw percentage (85.6%). McMillian ranked 3rd in field goal percentage (53.6%) and 8th in free throw percentage (85.8). Randy Smith
Randy Smith (basketball)
Randolph "Randy" Smith was an American professional basketball player who set the NBA record for consecutive games played. From 1972-1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to a then-record of 906 straight games...
, who played all 82 games for the fourth consecutive season, represented Buffalo in the 1976 NBA All-Star Game
1976 NBA All-Star Game
GAME 26: at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, February 3, 1976.MVP: Dave BingCoaches: East: Tom Heinsohn, West: Al Attles.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 50-45*Third Quarter— East, 83-30...
and earned 2nd team All-NBA honors. Smith ranked third in steals per game (2.5), fourth in assists per game (6.5), seventh in points per game (21.8) and ninth in minutes per game (38.6). Smith's speed was a difference maker on the Braves' fast breaks. McAdoo appeared in the third of five consecutive NBA All-Star games and placed second in the MVP voting despite not making the All-NBA team that included centers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
and Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
. McAdoo led the winning east team in scoring with 22 points in the All-Star game, but Dave Bing
Dave Bing
David "Dave" Bing is the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, a businessman, and a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association , primarily for the Detroit Pistons...
was selected as MVP. Over the course of the season he made both the most field goals and most free throws in the NBA. He led the league in minutes played (42.7) and points per game (31.1) while ranking seventh in rebound average (12.4) and sixth in blocks per game (2.1).
October–December
As the season began, the Braves refused to sign the lease terms for Memorial Auditorium because Braves owner Paul Snyder felt it was unfair for the Braves to be held to different terms than their co-tenant, the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. Although the Buffalo Common Council
Buffalo Common Council
The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the Buffalo, New York City Government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North, University, and South. In the past, the Common...
had approved a lease in July, the Braves entered the season without an agreement.
During the November 14 game at Milwaukee a bench-clearing brawl
Bench-clearing brawl
A bench-clearing brawl, sometimes known as a basebrawl or a rhubarb, is a form of ritualistic fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, in which every player on both teams leave their dugouts, bullpens, or benches and charge the playing area in order to fight one...
erupted as a result of an incident between Bucks Gary Brokaw
Gary Brokaw
Gary George Brokaw is a retired American basketball player and a basketball coach.Brokaw attended New Brunswick High School...
and Bob Dandridge
Bob Dandridge
Robert L. "Bob" Dandridge is a retired American professional basketball player.-Early years:He attended Maggie L. Walker High School in Richmond, Virginia and Norfolk State University, teaming up with Pee Wee Kirkland. His teams had phenomenal years...
and Brave Dick Gibbs
Dick Gibbs (basketball)
Dick Gibbs is an American retired professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for five teams from 1971 to 1976, posting career averages of 5.2 points per game and 1.9 rebounds per game.Gibbs attended Ames High School and played on their basketball team in...
. The following week McAdoo broke the Cleveland Coliseum single-game scoring record by posting 50 points in a 23-point deficit come-from-behind overtime victory. He surpassed his own 49 point performance the prior year at the Coliseum; both games were against his friend Jim Chones
Jim Chones
James Bernett Chones is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'11" forward/center, Chones starred at Marquette University, where he earned All-America honors as a junior in 1972 after averaging 20.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game...
. On December 2, 1974 NBA Rookie of the Year DiGregorio was benched in favor of Charles for the sake of team defense. In Charles' first start, he led the team in scoring with a career-high 24 on the way to the franchise record 37-point December 5 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. In late December, McAdoo was suspended by the team for failing to make a doctor's appointment as the Braves claimed his self-diagnosed back injury was dubious.
January–February
The Braves began the new year by playing in three consecutive one-point contests, first splitting with the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on January 2 and January 3, and then defeating the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on January 6. All games were won by the home team. The Braves established an all-sport all-time attendance record for Memorial Auditorium of 19,226 on January 31 when they hosted the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
. That night, John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
became the NBAs fourth leading scorer, surpassing Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor
Elgin Gay Baylor is a retired Hall of Fame American basketball player and former NBA general manager who played 13 seasons as a forward for the NBA's Minneapolis Lakers/Los Angeles Lakers....
. The day before the game the Braves had reached an agreement on sharing playing dates with the Sabres and decided not to attempt to leave town. On February 1 during the All-star break, the Braves dealt Heard for Shumate. At the time the Braves had a 30–20 record and they would go 16–16 for the rest of the season. During the February 3, 1976 NBA All-Star Game, Smith scored 8 points, while McAdoo had a game-high 22. McAdoo contributed to a key fourth quarter spurt that propelled the East to victory.
March–April
As the season wound down, the Braves were battling with the Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
for home court advantage in the opening round series. The Braves defeated the Celtics twice in the final two weeks to even their season series at three games a piece while winning five of their last seven games. The Braves were scheduled to host the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on April 6, but when the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
qualified for the 1976 Stanley Cup playoffs, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
scheduled the Sabres to be the home team on the same date. When the Braves set a $25,000 price tag on the date, the Sabres swapped home game dates with the St. Louis Blues and lost on St. Louis in a best of three series on that date.
Season standings
The following were the season standing in the Atlantic Division.{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Atlantic Division
! Team !! W !! L !! PCT. !! GB
|-
| align="left" | Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
C || 54 || 28 || .659 || -
|-
| align="left" | Buffalo Braves
Buffalo Braves
The Buffalo Braves were a team in the National Basketball Association. They later moved to San Diego, California to become the San Diego Clippers then subsequently the Los Angeles Clippers....
|| 46 || 36 || .561 || 8
|-
| align="left" | Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
|| 46 || 36 || .561 || 8
|-
| align="left" | New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
|| 38 || 44 || .463 || 16
|}
Season schedule
|- valign="top"|
Source: www.basketball-reference.com
Playoffs
In the 1976 NBA Playoffs1976 NBA Playoffs
The 1976 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1975-1976 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns, four games to two in the NBA Finals; the series was...
, McMillian boosted his 15.8 points per game to 17.2, and Smith also boosted his production to 8.6 assists per game, which led the league, while contributing 22.6 points. For the second year in a row, McAdoo led the league in minutes per game in the playoffs (45.1), while posting 28.0 points per game.
First round
The Braves concluded the regular season tied with the Philadelphia 76ers
1975–76 Philadelphia 76ers season
The 1975-76 season saw the Philadelphia 76ers post a 46-36 regular-season record, and returned to the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 1971, ending a string of four consecutive losing seasons. The Sixers, however, lost to the Buffalo Braves, two games to one in the first round of the Eastern...
for fourth place in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
with a 46–36 record. The Braves lost the regular season series with the 76ers 4 games to 3 giving Philadelphia home court advantage for the three-game Eastern Conference First Round series between the conference's fourth and fifth place teams. During the series, the road team won each of the three games including the final game, which Buffalo won 124–123 in overtime.
In the first round, the Braves won the first game 95–89 on 36 points from McAdoo and 6 points from McMillian in the final 1:23. Although the Braves led most of the way, it took a three-point play by McAdoo with 4:37 left to give them the lead for good at 87–85. George McGinnis
George McGinnis
George F. McGinnis is a retired American professional basketball player, most notably with the Indiana Pacers of the American Basketball Association . He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana University in 1971...
posted 34 points as the 76ers evened the series with a 131–106 victory in game 2. The Braved clinched game 3 in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
as McAdoo scored two free throws to tie the game in regulation and two more with 17 seconds left in overtime as Buffalo won 124–123. The game included clutch shots by Shumate and a strong shooting performance by Smith. Philadelphia took the lead in the first quarter and did not relinquish it until the McMillian gave the Braves a 95–94 lead with 8:11 remaining in regulation. McGinnis had fouled out with 8:50 remaining. The Braves held the lead until Doug Collins
Doug Collins
Paul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:...
scored with 41 seconds left to tie the score at 109 and Fred Carter
Fred Carter
Fredrick James Carter is a former professional basketball player and head coach.A 6' 3" guard from Mount St. Mary's University, Carter was selected by the Baltimore Bullets in the third round of the 1969 NBA Draft...
gave Philadelphia a 111–109 lead with 6 seconds remaining. After a couple of offensive rebounds on their final possession Clyde Lee
Clyde Lee
Clyde Wayne Lee is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'10" forward/center, Lee starred at Vanderbilt University in the mid-1960s. Lee was known for his rebounding skills and inside scoring prowess. In his junior season , he led the Commodores to their first SEC championship...
fouled McAdoo who tied the score from the line. Shumate had 11 fourth quarter points and a pair of early overtime baskets. Smith gave the Braves the lead for good with 51 seconds left in overtime.
Second round
In the second round, the Braves opposed the Eastern Conference regular season champion Boston Celtics
1975–76 Boston Celtics season
The 1975–76 Boston Celtics season was their 30th in the National Basketball Association .-Draft picks:-Depth chart:-Regular season and postseason recap:The Celtics lost Don Chaney to the American Basketball Association before the 1975–76 season...
in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The first five games of the series went to the home team and then Boston won game six in Buffalo to clinch the series.
Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens
David William Cowens is a retired American professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At 6'9", he played the center and occasionally the power forward position. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991...
accumulated 30 points, 19 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals in leading the Celtics past the Braves by a 107–98 margin in game 1. Although McAdoo scored 40 points in game 2 and the Celtics played without John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
, his replacements Don Nelson
Don Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
and Steve Kuberski
Steve Kuberski
Stephen Phil Kuberski is an American former professional basketball player in the NBA. Kuberski played nine NBA seasons for the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Buffalo Braves, averaging 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 points per game. . Kuberski won two NBA titles with the Celtics, in 1973-74 and 1975-76...
stepped up to enable the Celtics to take a 2–0 lead in the series on a with a 101–96 victory. In game 3, the Braves won 98–93, as Smith scored 29 and McAdoo added 24, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Buffalo had fallen behind by 12 points after one quarter. Starter-turned-reserve DiGregorio entered the game in the second quarter with the Braves behind 32–22, but he posted 8 points and 5 assists in the quarter to spark a 21–4 surge that gave the team a 43–36 lead. He finished with 10 assists. In game 4, Smith made a 25-foot jump shot with three seconds remaining to give the Braves a 124–122 victory and tie the series 2–2. Havlicek, who missed games 2 through 4 with a foot injury, returned to help the Celtics win game 5 as Paul Silas
Paul Silas
Paul Theron Silas is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. He attended Creighton University, where he set an NCAA record for the most rebounds in three seasons and averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963...
had 15 points and 22 rebounds and Cowens amassed 30 points and 16 rebounds. After a 32–32 tie, Cowens, who had 14 second quarter points, led the Celtics to a 46–36 halftime lead. The Braves closed to within 50–46, but the Celtics pulled away and took a 76–65 lead after three quarters. Although Charlie Scott
Charlie Scott
Charles Thomas Scott is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the now-defunct American Basketball Association and eight seasons in the National Basketball Association .A 6'5" guard/forward from the Laurinburg Institute...
fouled out in the fourth quarter, so did McAdoo. In game 6, the Celtics led 30–27 after one quarter, but trailed 55–50 at the half and 78–77 after three quarters. At one point, 9 third quarter points by McMillian helped push Buffalo to a 9 point lead. Scott scored 13 of his game-high 31 points in the final quarter. Jo Jo White
Jo Jo White
Joseph Henry "Jo Jo" White is an American former professional basketball player.-Life and career:White was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of a minister...
had 23 points and Cowens had 10 points and 16 rebounds in the final game as the Celtics clinched the series 4–2 with a 104–100 victory.
Playoff schedule
|- valign="top"|
Source: www.basketball-reference.com
Postseason news
Coach Ramsay had been hired in 1972 to a three-year contract. He served the 1975–76 season on a one-year extension. His contract was not renewed. Ramsay had guided the Braves to the playoffs three years in a row after enduring a 21–61 season, accumulating a 158–170 overall record. Local reports noted a personality conflict with owner Snyder. The Braves promoted assistant coach Tates LockeTates Locke
Tates Locke is an American professional basketball coach.Locke coached the Buffalo Braves for half a season in 1976-77, before being replaced by Bob MacKinnon. Prior to his Buffalo experience, Locke coached for West Point, where he hired a young assistant coach named Bobby Knight. Knight would...
and signed him to a two-year contract.
Snyder threatened to sell the Braves if they did not sell 5,000 season ticket
Season ticket
A season ticket is a ticket that grants privileges over a defined period of time.-Sport:In sport, a season ticket grants the holder access to all regular-season home games for one season without additional charges. The ticket usually offers a discounted price over purchasing a ticket for each of...
s by June 12, 1976. However the season ticket drive by the Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
and other civic groups only resulted in 2,552 sales by the deadline date. In June 1976, Diplomat Hotel owner Irving Cowan obtained an option to purchase the Braves for $6.1 million, and planned to bring them to South Florida and the Hollywood Sportatorium
Hollywood Sportatorium
The Hollywood Sportatorium was an indoor arena in Pembroke Pines, Florida, located at 17171 Pines Boulevard . The Sportatorium was from downtown Miami and from downtown Fort Lauderdale...
. Pledges of more than 8,000 season tickets were received in Florida. On June 15, Snyder announced the planned sale. The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
estimated the sale price to be in the $7–8 million range. However, the next day the city of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
sued the Braves for breach of contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
and sought a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
preventing the move. The suit was filed in New York Supreme Court
New York Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the trial-level court of general jurisdiction in thestate court system of New York, United States. There is a supreme court in each of New York State's 62 counties, although some smaller counties share judges with neighboring counties...
for seeking $10 million from the Braves and the NBA for breaking a promise to sign a new 15-year lease. Another suit was filed as an anti-trust case in United States district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
against the rest of the NBA seeking $48 million in damages in the event of a move. The anti-trust case alleged that the move was an attempt to eliminate competition against a future Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
NBA franchise and to discourage expansion of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
to southern Florida. The damages arose as treble damages
Treble damages
Treble damages, in law, is a term that indicates that a statute permits a court to triple the amount of the actual/compensatory damages to be awarded to a prevailing plaintiff, generally in order to punish the losing party for willful conduct. Treble damages are a multiple of, and not an addition...
related to a March 1 promise to sign a lease. Although Cowan claimed the move would still take place, the effort collapsed under the weight of the lawsuit and the Braves ended up signing a new lease with the city of Buffalo. In July, the Braves signed a new lease with the city for the Memorial Auditorium with the understanding that there was an ongoing effort to sell the team to local interests. The signing of the lease settled the lawsuits.
Player stats
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%;"|+Legend
|-
!GP
|Games played
!MPG
|Minutes per game
!FG
|Field-goals
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
per game
!FGA
|Field-goals attempted per Game
|-
!FG%
|Field-goal percentage
!FT
|Free-throws
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
per game
!FTA
|Free-throws attempted per Game
!FT%
|Free-throw percentage
|-
!ORPG
|Offensive rebounds per game
!DRPG
|Defensive rebounds per game
!RPG
|Rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
per game
!APG
|Assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
per game
|-
!SPG
|Steals
Steal (basketball)
In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...
per game
!BPG
|Blocks
Block (basketball)
In basketball, a block , not to be confused with blocking, occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player. The defender must not touch the offensive player's hands or otherwise a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot...
per game
!PFPG
|Personal fouls per game
!PPG
|Points
Point (basketball)
Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....
per game
|}
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange" |Player
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange" |GP
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|MPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FGA
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FG%
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FT
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FTA
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|FT%
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|ORPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|DRPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|RPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|APG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|SPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|BPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|PFPG
| align="center" style="background:#106bb4; color:orange"|PPG
|-
| ||78||42.7||12||24.6||0.487||7.2||9.4||0.762||3.1||9.3||12.4||4||1.2||2.1||3.8||31.1
|-
| ||82||38.6||8.6||17.3||0.494||4.7||5.7||0.817||1.3||3.8||5.1||5.9||1.9||0||3.3||21.8
|-
| ||74||35.3||6.6||12.4||0.536||2.5||3||0.858||1.8||3.5||5.3||2.8||1.2||0.2||1.9||15.8
|-
| ||32||32.7||4.6||7.9||0.575||3||4.5||0.678||2.6||7.3||9.8||2||1.2||0.6||2.6||12.2
|-
| ||81||27.7||4||8.9||0.456||2||2.5||0.785||0.7||2||2.7||2.5||1.5||0.6||3.2||10.1
|-
| ||50||30.5||4.1||9.8||0.421||1.6||2.7||0.607||2.8||7.5||10.2||2.5||1.3||1.1||3.7||9.9
|-
| ||12||23.2||3.4||7.8||0.436||2.3||2.8||0.818||0.8||2.5||3.3||1.9||0.6||0.5||2.5||9.1
|-
| ||67||20.4||2.7||7.1||0.384||1.3||1.4||0.915||0.2||1.4||1.7||4||0.6||0||2.4||6.7
|-
| ||72||12||1.8||4.2||0.429||1.1||1.3||0.828||0.6||0.9||1.5||0.7||0.2||0.2||1.8||4.7
|-
| ||50||14.2||1.9||4.4||0.432||0.8||1.1||0.759||1.3||2.4||3.7||1.4||0.1||0.1||1.7||4.7
|-
| ||66||15.1||1.3||2.8||0.486||0.5||0.7||0.729||0.2||0.8||1||2.3||0.7||0.2||1.4||3.2
|-
| ||56||12.6||1.2||3||0.394||0.7||1||0.702||0.7||1.9||2.6||1.3||0.5||0.1||2.3||3.1
|-
| ||71||10.9||0.9||1.7||0.5||0.8||1.1||0.667||0.8||2.3||3.2||1.1||0.2||0.2||2||2.5
|-
| ||10||8.5||0.7||1.7||0.412||0.3||0.3||1||0.4||2.1||2.5||0.3||0.1||0.2||1||1.7
|-
| ||1||7||0||1||0||0||0||||1||0||1||1||0||0||0||0
|}
Awards and honors
- Bob McAdoo, NBA Scoring Champion
- Bob McAdoo, 1976 NBA All-Star Game1976 NBA All-Star GameGAME 26: at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, February 3, 1976.MVP: Dave BingCoaches: East: Tom Heinsohn, West: Al Attles.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 50-45*Third Quarter— East, 83-30...
- Randy Smith, 1976 NBA All-Star Game1976 NBA All-Star GameGAME 26: at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, February 3, 1976.MVP: Dave BingCoaches: East: Tom Heinsohn, West: Al Attles.-Eastern Conference: -Western Conference: -Score by periods: *Halftime— West, 50-45*Third Quarter— East, 83-30...
- Randy Smith, 1976 All-NBA (2nd team)
- John Shumate, NBA All-Rookie Team (Note: Shumate started the season with the Phoenix Suns but ended the season as a member of the Buffalo Braves)
- John Shumate, NBA Field goal percentage champion