1977–78 Buffalo Braves season
Encyclopedia
The 1976-77 NBA season
was the Braves 8th and final season in the NBA. Going into the season, the Braves would get an escape clause in their lease because season ticket sales did not reach the set goal of 4,500. The Braves would suffer another disappointment as Tiny Archibald (whom they acquired from the New Jersey Nets for George Johnson) was lost during preseason to a seasons ending Achilles tendon injury. The Braves would play competitive basketball in November holding a respectable 10-10 record. Despite the promising start, the Braves would win just 9 games combined over the next 3 months. While the Braves were struggling on the court, their owner John Y. Brown was brokering a deal to take over the legendary Boston Celtics
franchise. Celtics owner Irv Levin
wanted to move the historic franchise to California. However, the NBA would not allow him to take the cornerstone franchise out of Boston. NBA Lawyer David Stern
would offer a comprise in which Levin and Brown would swap franchises. The concept was that Levin would take over the Braves and move them to San Diego. The Braves would go on to finish in 4th place with a 27-55 record, while playing their last game on April 9, ironically, in Boston. Owners would go on to vote 21-1 to approve the deal, and the Braves would move from Buffalo to San Diego. The deal also included a 7-player trade in which the Celtics acquired Tiny Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes. The soon to be San Diego bound Braves would receive Freeman Williams, back-up center Kevin Kunnert, and power forwards Kermit Washington and Sidney Wicks. The team would not request a draft pick in the deal, allowing the Celtics to retain the draft rights to Larry Bird
.
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #E23B45; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Buffalo Braves 1977-78 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
|-
|+ Atlantic Division
! Team !! W !! L !! PCT. !! GB
|-
| align="left" | Philadelphia 76ers
|| 55 || 27 || .671 || -
|-
| align="left" | New York Knicks
|| 43 || 39 || .524 || 12
|-
| align="left" | Boston Celtics
|| 32 || 50 || .390 || 23
|-
| align="left" | Buffalo Braves
|| 27 || 55 || .329 || 28
|-
| align="left" | New Jersey Nets
|| 24 || 58 || .293 || 31
|}
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | GP
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | REB
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | AST
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | STL
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | BLK
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | PTS
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | AVG
|- align="center"
|-
|}
selected as a starting guard for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. This is his second All-Star Game selection and eventually garnered him the All-Star MVP. Smith will be the final Buffalo Braves All-Star.
1976-77 NBA season
The 1976–77 NBA season was the 31st season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Portland Trail Blazers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals.-Notable occurrences:...
was the Braves 8th and final season in the NBA. Going into the season, the Braves would get an escape clause in their lease because season ticket sales did not reach the set goal of 4,500. The Braves would suffer another disappointment as Tiny Archibald (whom they acquired from the New Jersey Nets for George Johnson) was lost during preseason to a seasons ending Achilles tendon injury. The Braves would play competitive basketball in November holding a respectable 10-10 record. Despite the promising start, the Braves would win just 9 games combined over the next 3 months. While the Braves were struggling on the court, their owner John Y. Brown was brokering a deal to take over the legendary 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...
franchise. Celtics owner Irv Levin
Irv Levin
Irving H. Levin was an American film producer and business executive with the National General Corporation...
wanted to move the historic franchise to California. However, the NBA would not allow him to take the cornerstone franchise out of Boston. NBA Lawyer David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
would offer a comprise in which Levin and Brown would swap franchises. The concept was that Levin would take over the Braves and move them to San Diego. The Braves would go on to finish in 4th place with a 27-55 record, while playing their last game on April 9, ironically, in Boston. Owners would go on to vote 21-1 to approve the deal, and the Braves would move from Buffalo to San Diego. The deal also included a 7-player trade in which the Celtics acquired Tiny Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes. The soon to be San Diego bound Braves would receive Freeman Williams, back-up center Kevin Kunnert, and power forwards Kermit Washington and Sidney Wicks. The team would not request a draft pick in the deal, allowing the Celtics to retain the draft rights to Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
.
Roster
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%; width: 100%;"|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: #E23B45; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center;" | Buffalo Braves 1977-78 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
|-
Season standings
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"|+ Atlantic Division
! Team !! W !! L !! PCT. !! GB
|-
| 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...
|| 55 || 27 || .671 || -
|-
| 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...
|| 43 || 39 || .524 || 12
|-
| 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...
|| 32 || 50 || .390 || 23
|-
| align="left" | Buffalo Braves
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
|| 27 || 55 || .329 || 28
|-
| align="left" | New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
|| 24 || 58 || .293 || 31
|}
Player stats
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="16%" | Player
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | GP
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | REB
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | AST
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | STL
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | BLK
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | PTS
! style="background:#106bb4; color:white" width="9%" | AVG
|- align="center"
|-
|}
All-Star
Randy SmithRandy Smith
-Sports personalities:*Randy Smith , American chosen NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1978; career lasted 1971–83...
selected as a starting guard for the Eastern Conference All-Stars. This is his second All-Star Game selection and eventually garnered him the All-Star MVP. Smith will be the final Buffalo Braves All-Star.