1975–76 Buffalo Braves season

1975–76 Buffalo Braves season
Head coach	Jack Ramsay
Arena	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Results
Record	46–36 (.561)
Place	Division: 2nd (Atlantic) Conference: 5th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	East Semifinals (Eliminated 2-4)
Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	MSG Network, WBEN
Radio	WBEN

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.^[1] 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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.^[2] 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

The Braves played most of their home games in the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (dark rimmed building in front of the HSBC Arena, pictured in 2007).

NBA Draft

The Braves had no selections during the first two rounds of the 1975 NBA Draft and no players drafted by the team that year played for the 1975–76 Buffalo.^[3] 1974 NBA Draft pick Tom McMillen played for a year in Europe before joining the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves.^[4] 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.^[5] McMillen only played basketball in Italy on the weekends.^[6]

Exhibition games

On October 4, 1975, the Braves opened their preseason exhibition schedule against the Indiana Pacers 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.^[7]

Transactions

On October 14, 1975, the Braves lost Lee Winfield on waivers to the Kansas City Kings.^[8] Paul Ruffner did not return to play for the 1975–76 Buffalo Braves and never again played in the NBA.^[9] On November 20, 1975, Steve Kuberski was waived.^[10] On November 27, 1975, Jack Marin was traded to the Chicago Bulls for a 1977 NBA Draft 1st round pick.^[11] On February 1, 1976, Gar Heard was dealt with a 1976 NBA Draft 2nd round pick to the Phoenix Suns for John Shumate.^[12] After the season, the Braves sent Ken Charles and Dick Gibbs and cash to the Atlanta Hawks for Tom Van Arsdale.^[13]^[14] Van Arsdale never played for the Braves who traded him in August to the Phoenix Suns for a 1977 NBA Draft 2nd round pick.^[15]

Roster

Buffalo Braves 1975–76 roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Nat.	Name	Ht.	Wt.
4.0 !F	10	USA !	Adams, Don	7000200659999999999♠6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Northwestern
1.5 !G	14	TRI !	Charles, Ken	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Fordham
1.5 !G	15	USA !	DiGregorio, Ernie	7000182880000000000♠6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Providence
1.5 !G	21	USA !	Gibbs, Dick	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Texas-El Paso
4.0 !F	24	USA !	Heard, Gar	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Oklahoma
4.0 !F	22	USA !	Kuberski, Steve	7000203200000000000♠6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Bradley
4.0 !F	42	USA !	Marin, Jack	7000198120000000000♠6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Duke
6.0 !C	11	USA !	McAdoo, Bob	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	North Carolina
6.0 !C	52	USA !	McMillen, Tom	7000210820000000000♠6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Maryland
1.5 !G	5	USA !	McMillian, Jim	7000195580000000000♠6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Columbia
4.0 !F	54	USA !	Schlueter, Dale	7000208279999999999♠6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Colorado State
4.0 !F	34	USA !	Shumate, John	7000205740000000000♠6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Notre Dame
1.5 !G	9	USA !	Smith, Randy	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Buffalo State
1.5 !G	8	USA !	Weiss, Bob	7000190500000000000♠6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Penn State

Head coach

Jack Ramsay

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Regular season

The Braves went the entire season without a winning streak or losing streak exceeding six games.^[16] 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.^[16]^[17]

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.^[18] 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.^[19] Marin, who played 12 games for the Braves before being traded, finished 9th in the NBA in free throw percentage (85.6%).^[20] McMillian ranked 3rd in field goal percentage (53.6%) and 8th in free throw percentage (85.8).^[21] 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).^[22] Smith's speed was a difference maker on the Braves' fast breaks.^[23] 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.^[24]^[25] McAdoo led the winning east team in scoring with 22 points in the All-Star game, but Dave Bing was selected as MVP.^[26] 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).^[24]

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.^[27]

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.^[28] 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.^[29]^[30] On December 2, 1974 NBA Rookie of the Year DiGregorio was benched in favor of Charles for the sake of team defense.^[31]^[32] 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.^[33] 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.^[34]

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.^[16]^[35] 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.^[36] 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.^[37] On February 1 during the All-star break, the Braves dealt Heard for Shumate.^[38] At the time the Braves had a 30–20 record and they would go 16–16 for the rest of the season.^[16] 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.^[26]^[39]^[40]

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.^[16]^[41]^[42] 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.^[43]

Season standings

The following were the season standing in the Atlantic Division.^[44]

**Atlantic Division**
Team	W	L	PCT.	GB
Boston Celtics C	54	28	.659	-
Buffalo Braves	46	36	.561	8
Philadelphia 76ers	46	36	.561	8
New York Knicks	38	44	.463	16

Season schedule

1975–76 game log

October: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
1	October 25	Golden State Warriors	105–92	1–0	Win 1
2	October 28	Houston Rockets	124–108	2–0	Win 2
3	October 31	@ Philadelphia 76ers	92–87	3–0	Win 3

November: 6–9 (Home: 3–4; Road: 3–5)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
4	November 1	Detroit Pistons	97–93	4–0	Win 4
5	November 4	Philadelphia 76ers	114–121	4–1	Loss 1
6	November 5	@ Boston Celtics	95–105	4–2	Loss 2
7	November 8	Phoenix Suns	110–105	5–2	Win 1
8	November 11	Washington Bullets	90–105	5–3	Loss 1
9	November 12	@ Houston Rockets	93–80	6–3	Win 1
10	November 14	@ Milwaukee Bucks	112–98	7–3	Win 2
11	November 15	Boston Celtics	110–112	7–4	Loss 1
12	November 18	Los Angeles Lakers	120–106	8–4	Win 1
13	November 20	@ Cleveland Cavaliers	118–115 (OT)	9–4	Win 2
14	November 21	@ Detroit Pistons	94–104	9–5	Loss 1
15	November 22	Portland Trail Blazers	104–109	9–6	Loss 2
16	November 26	@ Phoenix Suns	106–107	9–7	Loss 3
17	November 28	@ Los Angeles Lakers	105–126	9–8	Loss 4
18	November 29	@ Portland Trail Blazers	115–130	9–9	Loss 5

December: 10–6 (Home: 8–1; Road: 2–5)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
19	December 2	New Orleans Jazz	96–108	9–10	Loss 6
20	December 5	Cleveland Cavaliers	125–88	10–10	Win 1
21	December 6	@ New York Knicks	98–108	10–11	Loss 1
22	December 9	Kansas City Kings	126–107	11–11	Win 1
23	December 11	@ Atlanta Hawks	99–122	11–12	Loss 1
24	December 12	New York Knicks	123–110	12–12	Win 1
25	December 13	@ Chicago Bulls	103–101	13–12	Win 2
26	December 16	@ Washington Bullets	94–100	13–13	Loss 1
27	December 17	Houston Rockets	88–85	14–13	Win 1
28	December 19	Washington Bullets	104–88	15–13	Win 2
29	December 20	@ Kansas City Kings	117–110	16–13	Win 3
30	December 23	Boston Celtics	101–92	17–13	Win 4
31	December 26	@ Philadelphia 76ers	95–96	17–14	Loss 1
32	December 27	Philadelphia 76ers	130–105	18–14	Win 1
33	December 28	@ Cleveland Cavaliers	88–111	18–15	Loss 1
34	December 30	Milwaukee Bucks	118–106	19–15	Win 1

January: 11–5 (Home: 6–2; Road: 5–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
35	January 2	New York Knicks	106–105	20–15	Win 2
36	January 3	@ New York Knicks	106–107	20–16	Loss 1
37	January 6	Los Angeles Lakers	114–113	21–16	Win 1
38	January 9	Chicago Bulls	100–107	21–17	Loss 1
39	January 11	@ Seattle SuperSonics	125–104	22–17	Win 1
40	January 13	@ Golden State Warriors	101–127	22–18	Loss 1
41	January 15	@ Phoenix Suns	126–119	23–18	Win 1
42	January 16	@ Chicago Bulls	110–104	24–18	Win 2
43	January 17	Seattle SuperSonics	110–101	25–18	Win 3
44	January 20	Phoenix Suns	112–103	26–18	Win 4
45	January 21	@ Atlanta Hawks	102–94	27–18	Win 5
46	January 23	Atlanta Hawks	119–104	28–18	Win 6
47	January 25	@ Boston Celtics	107–135	28–19	Loss 1
48	January 27	New Orleans Jazz	129–105	29–19	Win 1
49	January 28	@ New Orleans Jazz	126–112	30–19	Win 2
50	January 31	Boston Celtics	100–109	30–20	Loss 1

February: 5–6 (Home: 3–4; Road: 2–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
51	February 6	Milwaukee Bucks	109–104	31–20	Win 1
52	February 8	@ Philadelphia 76ers	97–100	31–21	Loss 1
53	February 10	Washington Bullets	115–105	32–21	Win 1
54	February 13	@ Kansas City Kings	101–96	33–21	Win 2
55	February 14	Cleveland Cavaliers	111–114	33–22	Loss 1
56	February 15	@ Atlanta Hawks	104–112	33–23	Loss 2
57	February 17	Portland Trail Blazers	116–113	34–23	Win 1
58	February 21	Detroit Pistons	112–114	34–24	Loss 1
59	February 24	@ New York Knicks	109–103	35–24	Win 1
60	February 25	Seattle SuperSonics	94–126	35–25	Loss 1
61	February 27	Houston Rockets	107–113	35–26	Loss 2

March: 7–9 (Home: 4–2; Road: 3–7)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
62	March 2	Golden State Warriors	93–100	35–27	Loss 3
63	March 6	Philadelphia 76ers	105–99	36–27	Win 1
64	March 10	@ New Orleans Jazz	120–105	37–27	Win 2
65	March 12	Houston Rockets	100–113	37–28	Loss 1
66	March 14	@ Los Angeles Lakers	109–137	37–29	Loss 2
67	March 16	@ Portland Trail Blazers	112–95	38–29	Win 1
68	March 17	@ Seattle SuperSonics	111–122	38–30	Loss 1
69	March 18	@ Golden State Warriors	109–110	38–31	Loss 2
70	March 20	New Orleans Jazz	115–101	39–31	Win 1
71	March 21	@ Detroit Pistons	112–118	39–32	Loss 1
72	March 23	Chicago Bulls	122–109	40–32	Win 1
73	March 25	@ Cleveland Cavaliers	109–94	41–32	Win 2
74	March 26	@ Milwaukee Bucks	92–123	41–33	Loss 1
75	March 28	@ Washington Bullets	90–113	41–34	Loss 2
76	March 30	Boston Celtics	93–83	42–34	Win 1
77	March 31	@ Philadelphia 76ers	103–107	42–35	Loss 1

April: 4–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Record	Streak
78	April 2	Atlanta Hawks	101–93	43–35	Win 1
79	April 4	@ Boston Celtics	117–114	44–35	Win 2
80	April 6	New York Knicks	102–106	44–36	Loss 1
81	April 8	@ New York Knicks	105–98	45–36	Win 1
82	April 11	Kansas City Kings	99–98	46–36	Win 2

Source: www.basketball-reference.com

Playoffs

In the 1976 NBA Playoffs, McMillian boosted his 15.8 points per game to 17.2,^[21] and Smith also boosted his production to 8.6 assists per game, which led the league, while contributing 22.6 points.^[22] 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.^[24]

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.^[44] 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.^[16] During the series, the road team won each of the three games including the final game, which Buffalo won 124–123 in overtime.^[16]

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.^[45]^[46] George McGinnis posted 34 points as the 76ers evened the series with a 131–106 victory in game 2.^[47] 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.^[48]^[49] The game included clutch shots by Shumate and a strong shooting performance by Smith.^[50] 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.^[51]

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.^[16]

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.^[52] 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.^[53] 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.^[54]^[55] 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.^[56] 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.^[57] 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.^[58] 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.^[59]

Playoff schedule

1976 playoff game log

First round: 2–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 2–0)

Date	Team	Score
April 15	@ Philadelphia 76ers	95–89
April 16	Philadelphia 76ers	106–131
April 18	@ Philadelphia 76ers	124–123 (OT)

Second round: 2–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 0–3)

Date	Team	Score
April 21	@ Boston Celtics	98–107
April 23	@ Boston Celtics	96–101
April 25	Boston Celtics	98–93
April 28	Boston Celtics	124–122
April 30	@ Boston Celtics	88–99
May 2	Boston Celtics	100–104

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.^[60]^[61] The Braves promoted assistant coach Tates Locke and signed him to a two-year contract.^[62]^[63]^[64]

Snyder threatened to sell the Braves if they did not sell 5,000 season tickets 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.^[65] 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.^[66] Pledges of more than 8,000 season tickets were received in Florida.^[67] On June 15, Snyder announced the planned sale.^[68]^[69] The Wall Street Journal estimated the sale price to be in the $7–8 million range.^[70] 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.^[68] 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.^[71]^[72] 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.^[73] The signing of the lease settled the lawsuits.^[74]

Player stats

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

Player	GP	MPG	FG	FGA	FG%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORPG	DRPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PFPG	PPG
McAdoo, BobBob McAdoo	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
Smith, RandyRandy Smith	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
McMillian, JimJim McMillian	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
Shumate, JohnJohn Shumate	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
Charles, KenKen Charles	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
Heard, GarGar Heard	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
Marin, JackJack Marin	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
DiGregorio, ErnieErnie DiGregorio	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
Gibbs, DickDick Gibbs	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
McMillen, TomTom McMillen	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
Weiss, BobBob Weiss	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
Adams, DonDon Adams	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
Schlueter, DaleDale Schlueter	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
Kuberski, SteveSteve Kuberski	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
Washington, JimJim Washington	1	7	0	1	0	0	0		1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0

Awards and honors

Bob McAdoo, NBA Scoring Champion^[24]
Bob McAdoo, 1976 NBA All-Star Game^[24]
Randy Smith, 1976 NBA All-Star Game^[22]
Randy Smith, 1976 All-NBA (2nd team)^[22]
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)^[18]
John Shumate, NBA Field goal percentage champion^[18]

References

↑ "Jack Ramsay". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 24 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
1 2 3 4 Buffalo Braves (1970–1978)
↑ "1975 NBA Draft". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Aspiring To Higher Things: All-America, Rhodes scholar, NBA player, Tom McMillen is emulating Bill Bradley. Next, elective office". Sports Illustrated. 1982-04-05. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "McMillen Finally A Brave". Toledo Blade. 1975-06-03. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Tom McMillen signs with Buffalo". Beaver Country Times. 1975-06-03. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "All-Time ABA vs. NBA Exhibition Game Results". RememberTheABA.com. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
↑ "Lee Winfield". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Paul Ruffner". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Steve Kuberski". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Jack Marin". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Gar Heard". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Ken Charles". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Dick Gibbs". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
↑ "Tom Van Arsdale". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1975-76 Buffalo Braves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "1974-75 Buffalo Braves Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
1 2 3 "John Shumate". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
↑ "Ernie DiGregorio". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 28 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "Jack Marin". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
1 2 "Jim McMillian". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 11 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
1 2 3 4 "Randy Smith". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
↑ "Quick Braves, Kings Win". The Milwaukee Journal. 1976-02-25. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
1 2 3 4 5 "Bob McAdoo". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
↑ "1975-76 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 22 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
1 2 "1976 NBA All-Star Game East 123, West 109". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2010-04-19.
↑ "Braves May Refuse Buffalo Lease Terms". Star-News. 1975-11-21. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "Brawl Breaks Out in Bucks', Braves' Tilt". The Telegraph. 1975-11-15. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "McAdoo gets 50 as Braves clip Cavaliers in overtime". Tri City Herald. 1975-11-21. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "McAdoo Unfriendly to Buddy Chones". The Milwaukee Journal. 1975-11-21. p. 20. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Unsung Ken Charles May Bench Standout". Spokane Daily Chronicle. 1975-12-06. p. 9. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "DiGregorio Hasn't Lost Confidence". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 1976-01-06. p. 9. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Braves Romp To Record". Chicago Tribune. 1975-12-06. p. B2.
↑ "McAdoo Criticizes Braves' Officials". Milwaukee Sentinel. 1975-12-26. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "Braves Pull Out Win With Shot At Buzzer". Ellensburg Daily Record. 1976-01-07. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Havlicek Leads Celtics Over Braves". The Pittsburgh Press. 1976-02-01. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Braves Stay In Buffalo". The Nevada Daily Mail. 1976-02-01. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Ex-Notre Dame All-American Shumate Traded". The Miami News. 1976-02-02. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "McAdoo leads East to victory". The Baltimore Sun. 1976-02-04. p. C4. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Bing Leads Charge As East Triumphs". Eugene Register-Guard. 1976-02-04. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Braves Stop Celtics". The Telegraph. 1976-03-30. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Braves Defeat Celtics In Physical Tilt, 117–114". The Telegraph. 1976-04-06. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
↑ "Blues Have Sabres Singing 'em". The Pittsburgh Press. 1976-04-07. Retrieved 2010-10-13.
1 2 "1975-76 NBA Season Summary". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
↑ "Braves Win Opener As McAdoo, McMillian star". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 1976-04-16. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ Rogers, Thomas (1976-04-16). "Braves Top 76ers; Pistons, Cavs Win". The New York Times. p. 38. Retrieved 2010-08-07. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Sixers draw even". The Free Lance-Star. 1976-04-17. p. 11. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Braves eliminate 76ers". Chicago Tribune. 1976-04-19. p. E2. Retrieved 2010-08-06. (subscription required (help)).
↑ Goldaper, Sam (1976-04-19). "Braves, Pistons Suns Win; Braves, Pistons and Suns Gain in Playoffs". The New York Times. p. 51. Retrieved 2010-08-06. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Braves gain semi-finals with victory over 76ers". The Sun. 1976-04-19. p. C5. Retrieved 2010-08-06. (subscription required (help)).
↑ Goldaper, Sam (1976-04-19). "Braves, Pistons Suns Win; Braves, Pistons and Suns Gain in Playoffs". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-06-13. (subscription required (help)).
↑ Goldaper, Sam (1976-04-22). "Celtics Top Braves; Celtics Win As Cowens Scores 30". The New York Times. p. 53. Retrieved 2010-08-07. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Celtics Bomb Braves Again". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. 1976-04-24. p. B3. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ Goldaper, Sam (1976-04-26). "Braves Beat Celtics, 98 to 93; Sonics Stay Alive". The New York Times. p. 52. Retrieved 2010-08-06. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Braves bounce Celtics". Anchorage Daily News. 1976-04-26. p. 7. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ "DiGregorio Resurfaces as Braves' Hero". The Milwaukee Journal. 1976-04-26. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Braves Win, Even Celtic Series, 2-2". The New York Times. 1976-04-29. p. 65. Retrieved 2010-08-06. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Celtics Take 99–88 Win To Go One Up On Braves". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. 1976-05-01. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ De Forest, Ben (1976-05-03). "Scott ignored, and Braves pay". The Free Lance-Star. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ "Buffalo Braves Won't Rehire Ramsay as Coach". The Palm Beach Post. 1976-05-04. p. D4. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "People in Sports; Jack Ramsay Is Out, Janet Guthrie Is In". The New York Times. 1976-05-04. p. 52. Retrieved 2010-08-07. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Tates Locke New Coach Of Braves". The New York Times. 1976-05-07. p. 25. Retrieved 2010-08-07. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "Assistant Is Coach of Braves". The Milwaukee Journal. 1976-05-07. p. 13, part 2. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Tates Locke takes new job as Buffalo Braves coach". The Dispatch. 1976-05-07. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Snyder Criticized on Proposed Move of Buffalo Braves". Palm Beach Post. 1976-06-12. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ Goldpaper, Sam (June 15, 1976). "Braves of N.B.A. Sold; Seek a Shift to Florida". New York Times. p. 47.
↑ Aronson, Peter (Sep 29, 1985). "Aging Sportatorium Keeps on Rocking". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
1 2 "Buffalo files suit to halt Braves move". Anchorage Daily News. 1976-06-16. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ Goldaper, Sam (1976-06-15). "Braves of N.B.A. Sold; Seek a Shift to Florida; Braves Sold; Would Shift To Florida". The New York Times. p. 59. Retrieved 2010-08-07. (subscription required (help)).
↑ "NBA's Buffalo Braves Bought by Florida Man". The Wall Street Journal. 1976-06-15. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
↑ Altaner, David (Sep 23, 1988). "Sportatorium Is Scheduled To Be Closed". Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-05-03.
↑ Seiden, Henry (June 17, 1976). "Cowan: Nothing's blocking shift now". The Miami News. p. 1C. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
↑ "Braves Nix Hollywood, Sign New Lease In Buffalo". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1976-07-07. Retrieved 2010-08-07.
↑ "Braves remain in Buffalo". Star-News. 1976-07-06. Retrieved 2010-08-07.

External links

1975–76 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Buffalo New York Philadelphia

Central	Atlanta Cleveland Houston New Orleans Washington

Western

Midwest	Chicago Detroit Kansas City Milwaukee

Pacific	Golden State Los Angeles Phoenix Portland Seattle

Buffalo Braves seasons

1970s

Sports teams based in New York State

Baseball	MLB New York Mets New York Yankees IL Buffalo Bisons Rochester Red Wings Syracuse Chiefs EL Binghamton Mets NYPL Auburn Doubledays Batavia Muckdogs Brooklyn Cyclones Hudson Valley Renegades Staten Island Yankees Tri-City ValleyCats ALPB Long Island Ducks CanAm Rockland Boulders ACBL Hampton Whalers Prospect League Jamestown Jammers NYCBL Olean Oilers Wellsville Nitros

Basketball	NBA Brooklyn Nets New York Knicks WNBA New York Liberty D-League Westchester Knicks Long Island Nets (beginning in 2016-17) PBL Jamestown Jackals Rochester Razorsharks WNY Thundersnow IBA Schenectady Legends Entertainment Teams Harlem Wizards

Football	NFL Buffalo Bills FXFL Brooklyn Bolts Hudson Valley Fort SIF Buffalo Lightning IWFL New York Knockout New York Sharks WSFL Buffalo Bullets EFL Watertown Red & Black GDFL Albany Metro Mallers FSFL Empire State Demon Knights

Hockey	NHL Buffalo Sabres New York Islanders New York Rangers AHL Albany Devils Binghamton Senators Rochester Americans Syracuse Crunch Utica Comets ECHL Adirondack Thunder Elmira Jackals NWHL Buffalo Beauts New York Riveters FHL Brewster Bulldogs Watertown Wolves (on hiatus) OJHL Buffalo Jr. Sabres Entertainment Teams Buffalo Sabres Alumni Hockey Team

Soccer	MLS New York City FC NASL New York Cosmos NWSL Western New York Flash USL Rochester Rhinos WPSL United FC Binghamton Empire United Long Island Fury New York Athletic Club New York Fury PDL F.A. Euro - New York Magic Long Island Rough Riders Westchester Flames NPSL Brooklyn Italians FC Buffalo Greater Binghamton FC Long Island Academy New York Athletic Club New York Cosmos B MASL Syracuse Silver Knights

Lacrosse	MLL New York Lizards Rochester Rattlers NLL Buffalo Bandits Rochester Knighthawks

Roller derby	WFTDA Assault City Roller Derby Central New York Roller Derby Gotham Girls Roller Derby Hellions of Troy Hudson Valley Horrors Roller Derby Ithaca League of Women Rollers Long Island Roller Rebels Queen City Roller Girls Roc City Roller Derby Suburbia Roller Derby MRDA New York Shock Exchange

Rugby football	USARL Brooklyn Kings New York Knights RSL New York Athletic Club RFC Old Blue

Inline hockey	MLRH Buffalo Wings PIHA Suffolk Sting

College athletics (NCAA Division I)	Albany Great Danes Army Black Knights Binghamton Bearcats Buffalo Bulls Canisius Golden Griffins Colgate Raiders Columbia Lions Cornell Big Red Fordham Rams Hofstra Pride Iona Gaels LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds Manhattan Jaspers/Lady Jaspers Marist Red Foxes Niagara Purple Eagles St. Bonaventure Bonnies St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers St. John's Red Storm Siena Saints Stony Brook Seawolves Syracuse Orange Wagner Seahawks

See also: Sports in New York City, Sports in New York's Capital District and Sports in Syracuse

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