View source for Buffalo Braves

{{short description|Basketball team (1970–1978)}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox basketball club
| name = Buffalo Braves
| logo = Buffalo Braves (black and orange varient) logo.svg
| imagesize = 
| conference = [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| division = [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| founded = 1970
| history = '''Buffalo Braves'''<br />1970–1978<br />'''San Diego Clippers'''<br />1978–1984<br />'''[[Los Angeles Clippers]]'''<br />1984–present<ref>{{cite web|title=History: Team by Team|url=https://www.nba.com/assets/pdfs/2019-20-NBA-Guide.pdf#page=121|publisher=NBA Properties, Inc.|work=2019-20 Official NBA Guide|date=October 17, 2019|access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=NBA.com/Stats–LA Clippers seasons|url=http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612746/seasons|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Stats.NBA.com|access-date=September 17, 2020|archive-date=September 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915143403/http://stats.nba.com/team/#!/1610612746/seasons|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| arena = [[Buffalo Memorial Auditorium]]
| location = [[Buffalo, New York]]
| colors = Black, white, orange, [[Columbia blue]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Braves Quick Facts|url=http://www.nba.com/clippers/history-buffalo-braves.html|publisher=NBA Media Ventures, LLC|website=Clippers.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906192028/http://www.nba.com/clippers/history-buffalo-braves.html|archive-date=September 6, 2017|access-date=April 4, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><br />{{color box|#000000}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}} {{color box|#E75300}} {{color box|#3399CC}}
| owner = [[Paul Snyder (basketball)|Paul Snyder]] (1970–1977)<br />[[John Y. Brown Jr.]] (1976–1978)<br />[[Harry T. Mangurian Jr.]] (1977–1978) (minority partner)
| manager = [[Eddie Donovan]] (1970–1975)
| coach = [[Dolph Schayes]] (1970–1972)<br />[[Johnny McCarthy]] (1972)<br />[[Jack Ramsay]] (1972–1976)<br />[[Tates Locke]] (1976–1977)<br />[[Bob MacKinnon]] (1977)<br />[[Joe Mullaney (basketball)|Joe Mullaney]] (1977)<br />[[Cotton Fitzsimmons]] (1977–1978)
| league_champs = None
| conf_champs = None
| div_champs = None
| playoff_appearances = '''3''' ([[1974 NBA Playoffs|1974]], [[1975 NBA Playoffs|1975]], [[1976 NBA Playoffs|1976]])
}}
The '''Buffalo Braves''' were an American professional [[basketball]] team based in [[Buffalo, New York]], founded in 1970. The Braves competed in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) as a member of the [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic Division]] of the [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern Conference]]. In 1978, owner [[John Y. Brown Jr.]] swapped franchises with then-[[Boston Celtics]] owner [[Irv Levin]], who then [[relocation of professional sports teams|moved]] the team to [[San Diego]], where it was renamed the '''San Diego Clippers'''. The franchise relocated to [[Los Angeles]] in 1984, becoming the [[Los Angeles Clippers]].

==History==

===Play begins===
The Braves were one of three NBA [[expansion team]]s that began to play in the [[1970–71 NBA season|1970–71 season]] (the others being the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] and [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]). It was originally owned by [[Neuberger Berman|Neuberger Loeb]], a [[New York City]] investment firm that had few ties to Buffalo. However, a series of missteps resulted in the league taking control of the team before it even played a preseason game. By opening night, [[Paul Snyder (basketball)|Paul Snyder]], a then 33-year-old entrepreneur who had recently cashed in on the sale of his [[Freezer Queen]] business, had bought the franchise for $4 million.<ref name=snyder2016/> They played their home games at the [[Buffalo Memorial Auditorium]], sharing the arena with another new franchise, the [[National Hockey League]] (NHL)'s [[Buffalo Sabres]], who also debuted in [[1970–71 NHL season|1970]], as well as local [[college basketball]] teams that had used the auditorium for decades prior. Because the Braves only had third choice of dates (behind the Sabres and [[Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball|Canisius College Golden Griffins]]) at the auditorium, from 1971 to 1975 the Braves were forced to play a total of 16 home games at [[Maple Leaf Gardens]] in [[Toronto]]; in addition to alleviating the auditorium's scheduling issues, the Braves also played internationally in the hopes of expanding their fan base beyond [[Western New York]] and into the [[Greater Toronto Area]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/Toronto/2004/11/03/699007.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131008062639/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/NBA/Toronto/2004/11/03/699007.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=October 8, 2013|title=The road was paved|date=2004-11-03|access-date=2013-10-08|publisher=[[Toronto Sun]]|last=Buffery|first=Steve}}</ref> (a similar strategy was employed by the [[National Football League]] (NFL)'s [[Buffalo Bills]] from [[Bills Toronto Series|2008 to 2013]]).<ref name="BuffaloBraves">{{cite web|url=http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teamscores.htm?tm=BUF&lg=N&yr=1971 |title=Buffalo Braves 1971–72 game log and Scores |access-date=2008-02-28 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524032124/http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teamscores.htm?tm=BUF&yr=1971&lg=N |archive-date=2006-05-24 }}</ref> The NBA had two previous teams in [[Upstate New York]], the [[Rochester Royals]] and the [[Syracuse Nationals]] (who are now known as the [[Sacramento Kings]] and [[Philadelphia 76ers]], respectively). As of 2025, the Braves are the last [[New York (state)|New York State]]-based NBA team to be based somewhere other than [[New York City]], where the [[New York Knicks]] and [[Brooklyn Nets]] play.

===Initial hiring===
The team's first [[head coach]] was [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Famer]] [[Dolph Schayes]] and the franchise's first star players were [[Bob Kauffman]] and [[Don May (basketball)|Don May]], who were acquired in the [[1970 NBA expansion draft]]. However, in the [[1970 NBA draft|NBA draft of 1970]], Buffalo passed on hometown hero [[Calvin Murphy]], a 5-foot-9 point guard from [[Niagara University]], and picked Princeton graduate [[John Hummer]] as their first round draft pick. Murphy would eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. As is typical of first-year expansion teams, the Braves finished with a dismal record, 22–60, seven games ahead of the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]], their expansion cousins, who finished at 15–67. Kauffman, who averaged 4.3 points per game the previous year with the [[Chicago Bulls]], led Buffalo in scoring with 20.4 points per game and earned a spot on the 1971 [[NBA Eastern Conference]] All-Star team.

===Season-by-season summary===

====1971–72 season====
The Braves repeated their 22–60 record in the 1971–72 season, but made acquisitions that would prove to improve the team. Buffalo drafted [[center (basketball)|center]] [[Elmore Smith]] from [[Kentucky State University]] and local favorite [[Randy Smith (basketball)|Randy Smith]] from [[Buffalo State College]]. [[Johnny McCarthy]] replaced Schayes one game into the season as the team's head coach.

====1972–73 and 1973–74 seasons====
[[File:Digregorio braves.jpg|thumb|right|170px|[[Ernie DiGregorio]] was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 1973–74 after leading the NBA in assists and free throw percentage.]]
The team did slightly worse in the 1972–73 season, as it went 21–61 under new head coach [[Dr. Jack Ramsay]]. In a showcase of the futility of the '72-'73 Braves, during the team's fifth game of the season on October 20, 1972, the team set an NBA record which still stands for most points in a single quarter with 58 in the fourth quarter against the [[Boston Celtics]]. However the Celtics were in the process of a blowout win and had already led the Braves 103–60 at the start of the quarter. They had inserted their substitutes to play the final quarter and the reduced quality of the opponents allowed for the comeback. The Braves outscored the Celtics 58-23 but still lost 126–118. The Braves' big move that season was drafting forward/center [[Bob McAdoo]] from [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|North Carolina]]. The team finally made its first playoff appearance in [[1973–74 NBA season|1974]], in which they faced the Celtics and lost in six games. That season, McAdoo posted averages of 30.6 [[point (basketball)|points]] and 15.1 [[rebound (basketball)|rebounds]]; this is the last time any player has averaged at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the same NBA season. Also, that season, the Braves rookie [[Ernie DiGregorio]] won the [[NBA Rookie of the Year Award]].

====1974–75 and 1975–76 seasons====
[[File:Bob mcadoo braves.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Bob McAdoo]] (11) was the NBA MVP in the 1974–75 season after averaging 34.5 points per game and 14.1 rebounds per game.]]
In [[1974–75 NBA season|1974–75]], McAdoo was awarded the [[NBA Most Valuable Player Award]], averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds. and 2.12 blocks per game, while shooting 51.2% from the field and 80.5% from the free-throw line. The Braves made trips to the playoffs in both 1974–75 and [[1975–76 NBA season|1975–76]], the latter of which would be their last playoff berth playing in Buffalo.

====1976–77 season====
The Braves by this point were a modest success, both on the court and off; the team was drawing close to the league average in fans, had solid broadcasting ratings and was turning a consistent profit. Even so, by 1976 Snyder was facing severe pressure to sell the team and get it out of Buffalo. As a result of the Braves only getting the third choice of dates at the Aud, the entire NBA was unable to finalize a schedule and hammer out television contracts until the Sabres and Griffins finalized their schedules. The NBA considered this untenable, and gave Snyder five years to resolve the problem. In a 2016 interview with ''[[The Buffalo News]]'' as part of a retrospective on the Braves, Snyder laid particular blame on Canisius president Father [[James Demske]] for making it difficult to get good home dates at the Aud. Snyder recalled offering Demske $125,000 per game to give up some Saturday night dates to the Braves. However, Demske turned the offer down, believing that the Braves posed a threat to the [[Western New York Little Three Conference|Little Three rivalry]] in college basketball. When the five-year deadline expired without a resolution, Snyder found himself with two options–build a new arena or sell the team. Building a new arena wasn't financially realistic at the time, leaving Snyder with no option but to sell the team. Had the dispute been resolved, the Braves would have likely been able to stay in Buffalo, especially since Canisius basketball went into what would be permanent decline in the early 1980s.<ref name=snyder2016>{{cite news|last=Gleason|first=Bucky|url=http://sportsink.buffalonews.com/2016/04/22/braves-came-buffalo-left/|title=How the Braves came to Buffalo -- and why they left|work=The Buffalo News|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=April 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422202914/http://sportsink.buffalonews.com/2016/04/22/braves-came-buffalo-left/|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the time, Snyder's more public feuds were with the Sabres, whose owners, [[Northrup R. Knox|Northrup]] and [[Seymour H. Knox III|Seymour Knox]], represented Buffalo's [[old money]] circuit while Snyder had ''[[nouveau riche]]'' status. Years later, Snyder attributed these feuds to his own inexperience with sports ownership and now speaks in more conciliatory tones regarding his hockey competition.<ref>Kulyk, Andrew (April 24, 2016). [http://artvoice.com/2016/04/24/buffalo-braves-saga-not-lionize-paul-snyder/ The Buffalo Braves Saga: Do Not Lionize Paul Snyder]. ''Artvoice''. Retrieved April 24, 2016.</ref>

The June 15, 1976 issue of Buffalo's ''[[Courier-Express]]'' blasted the headline "Braves Go to Florida, Leaving 'Hockey Town'". Snyder had a handshake deal to sell the team for $6.1 million to hotel owner Irving Cowan, who would move the Braves to the [[Hollywood Sportatorium]] outside of [[Miami]]. However, the city of Buffalo filed a $10 million damage suit to block the move. The sale eventually fell through and the Braves and the city signed a new 15-year Memorial Auditorium lease in July with a provision that the lease could be voided if the team did not sell 5,000 season tickets in any season. Later that summer, Snyder finally sold 50% of the franchise to businessman [[John Y. Brown Jr.]], who had previously owned the [[Kentucky Colonels]] of the [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA). Brown later acquired the remaining half from Snyder sometime in the [[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77 season]] with the intention of reviving the Colonels by relocating the Braves to Louisville. Unable to find a willing co-owner for such a venture, he resold the other stake to another businessman, [[Harry T. Mangurian Jr.]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2014-01-11 |title=Former Ky governor has no regrets, missed out on $800M |url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/politics/former-ky-governor-has-no-regrets-missed-out-on-800m/417-265851799 |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=whas11.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Brown and Mangurian proceeded to dismantle the Braves. Ramsay, unwilling to have his career hurt by the change in ownership, left for the [[Portland Trail Blazers]], who would win the NBA championship in the upcoming 1976–77 season.<ref>Fink, James (April 28, 2014). [http://m.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2014/04/28/paul-snyder-remembers-ex-braves-coach-ramsay.html Paul Snyder remembers ex-Braves coach Ramsey]. ''Business First''. Retrieved April 28, 2014.</ref> A provision in the team sale agreement stipulated that if Brown sold the contract of any Braves player, then the money would go to Snyder and the purchase price would be reduced. This subsequently occurred when the Braves sent McAdoo to the [[New York Knicks]] for players and cash midway through the season. Before the first game of the season, the Braves also managed to acquire eventual Hall-of-Fame center [[Moses Malone]] from Portland. However, after just two games in which he played a total of six minutes, he too was traded; he was sent to [[Houston Rockets|Houston]] for two draft picks. He would finish the season in Houston averaging 13 points and 13 rebounds while only two years later winning his first of three MVP Awards. The Braves would go through four head coaches in the next two seasons: [[Tates Locke]], [[Bob MacKinnon]], [[Joe Mullaney (basketball)|Joe Mullaney]] (formerly coach of the Colonels) and [[Cotton Fitzsimmons]]. Fitzsimmons (who would find himself in a nearly identical situation seven years later when his next team the [[Kansas City Kings]] relocated to Sacramento) jokingly took the blame for the Braves' relocation and acknowledged that the NBA had given Buffalo a "raw deal."<ref>{{Cite web|first=Tim|last=Wendel|url=https://buffalonation.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/bills-franchise-duldrums-places-pressure-on-gailey/|title=Bills’ franchise doldrums places extra pressure on Gailey|website=Buffalo Nation|date=January 24, 2010|access-date=November 16, 2025}}</ref>

====1977–78 season====
The team's poor play in its final two years (30–52 in 1976–77 and 27–55 in [[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78]]) and the overt attempts to break the lease on Memorial Auditorium drove attendance down below the threshold that would have been needed to break the lease.<ref name=snyder2016/> John Y. Brown met with [[Irv Levin]], who then owned the Celtics, and negotiated a deal in which the owners would swap franchises, with Brown taking control of the Celtics and Levin getting the Braves. Levin was a [[California]] businessman, and wanted to own an NBA team in his native state. However, he knew the NBA would not even consider letting him move the Celtics. He was therefore very receptive to Brown's offer. The deal was brokered by then NBA general counsel [[David Stern]], who became the league's commissioner in 1984. Following what would be the Braves' final season in [[Western New York]], the NBA owners voted 21–1 to let the team move. As Levin wanted, he became owner of a team in [[San Diego]] after the 1977–78 season, which became the [[Los Angeles Clippers|San Diego (now Los Angeles) Clippers]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jozsa |first1=Frank P. |title=The National Basketball Association: Business, Organization and Strategy |date=2011 |publisher=World Scientific |isbn=978-981-4313-90-2 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vvySt6hPeLwC&pg=PA85 |access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref><ref name="swap" /> As part of the transaction, the teams traded most of the players on their rosters.<ref name="swap">{{cite news |title=Freaky Friday, N.B.A. Style: When the Clippers Were the Celtics |author=Peter May |url=http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/freaky-friday-n-b-a-style-when-the-clippers-were-the-celtics/ |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=3 May 2013}}</ref> Brown would sell off the Celtics in 1979.<ref name=":0" />

==Team colors==
[[File:Buffalo Braves Logo, 1972–1978.png|thumb|upright=1|Blue and red variant of the Braves' logo.]]
For the franchise's first season (1970–71) team colors were blue, red & gold; home white uniforms featured lettering and striping in only red & gold, with road uniforms being blue, also with red & gold lettering and striping. In the second season, (1971–72) the team adopted the colors of the [[Baltimore Orioles]]. This was with the heavy influence of the local uniform supplier, James (Jim) Ludtka. Ludtka, was a former pro baseball player with the [[New York Yankees]] and was scouting for the Orioles organization. The new color scheme was white, orange and black, with the now familiar "feather B" logo featured on uniforms that had diagonal stripes across both jerseys and shorts (the predominant color on the road being orange). This scheme was kept one more season (1972–73) and, with the 1973–74 season, the team adopted another new color scheme of [[Columbia blue]] and white, with uniforms including black accents outlining the lettering and also striping on jerseys and shorts; they continued with these uniforms until the team was moved to [[California]]. (Despite the new color scheme, the logo – which no longer appeared on the uniforms – remained the black and orange "feather B").

==Clippers acknowledgement and naming issues==
Since [[Steve Ballmer]] bought the team, the history of the Braves have been acknowledged through occasional [[throwback uniform]]s during Clipper games and Buffalo throwback merchandise being made available through team venues, though any explicit [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] references outside the city name, the Braves name itself, and "feather B" logo have been de-emphasized, with the original "feather sunburst" logo remaining unused.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/buffalo/la-clippers-win-thursday-game-wearing-throwback-buffalo-braves-jerseys/|title=BUFFALO LA Clippers win Thursday game wearing throwback Buffalo Braves jerseys|last=Anstey|first=Evan|date=8 November 2019|publisher=[[WIVB-TV]], Buffalo|access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref> The team's name, said at the time to be a tribute to the [[Seneca Nation of New York]], came well before the [[Native American mascot controversy|controversy of Native American names in sports]] beginning in the 1990s came to light, and the Braves nickname has been said to have been a "curse" upon the franchise from the start.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://buffalonews.com/opinion/columnists/column-braves-first-and-worst-mistake-came-when-the-nba-club-was-named/article_d7c5fc32-c540-11ea-a45b-a767f80bca3d.html|title=Column: Braves' first, and worst, mistake came when the NBA club was named|last=Brady|first=Erik|date=14 July 2020|work=[[The Buffalo News]]|access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref> The Clippers refused to relinquish the Braves trademark in 2005 when an expansion [[American Basketball Association (2000–present)|American Basketball Association]] franchise wanted to use it, so that team instead became the [[Buffalo Rapids]].<ref name="McKissic 2005 g647">{{cite web | last=McKissic | first=Rodney | title=BUFFALO RAPIDS SEEK HOME NEWLY NAMED ABA TEAM MAY PLAY ON SEVERAL COURTS | website=Buffalo News | date=February 12, 2005 | url=https://buffalonews.com/news/buffalo-rapids-seek-home-newly-named-aba-team-may-play-on-several-courts/article_a226fb00-daeb-5b24-87f9-3a5f9ea85ba3.html | access-date=December 26, 2023}}</ref>

==Basketball Hall of Famers==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="5" style="{{NBA color cell|Buffalo Braves}};"|Buffalo Braves Hall of Famers
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center; {{NBA color cell2|Buffalo Braves}};"|Players
|-
! No. !! Name !! Position !! Tenure !! Inducted
|-
| '''11''' || [[Bob McAdoo]] || [[Power forward (basketball)|F]]/[[Center (basketball)|C]] || 1972–1976 || 2000
|-
| '''20''' || [[Moses Malone]] || [[Center (basketball)|C]]/[[Power forward (basketball)|F]] || 1976 || 2001
|-
| '''44''' || [[Adrian Dantley]] || [[Small forward|F]]/[[Shooting guard|G]] || 1976–1977 || 2008
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center; {{NBA color cell2|Buffalo Braves}};"|Coaches
|-
! colspan="2"|Name !! Position !! Tenure !! Inducted
|-
| colspan="2"|[[Jack Ramsay]] || Head coach || 1972–1976 || 1992
|-
! colspan="5" style="text-align:center; {{NBA color cell2|Buffalo Braves}};"|Contributors
|-
| colspan="2"|[[Cotton Fitzsimmons]] || Head coach || 1977–1978 || 2021 
|}

==Individual awards==
{{columns-start|num=2}}

'''[[NBA Most Valuable Player Award]]'''
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1975

'''[[NBA Rookie of the Year Award|NBA Rookie of the Year]]'''
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1973
*[[Ernie DiGregorio]]&nbsp;– 1974
*[[Adrian Dantley]]&nbsp;– 1977

'''[[NBA Executive of the Year Award|NBA Executive of the Year]]'''
*[[Eddie Donovan]]&nbsp;– 1974

'''[[All-NBA First Team]]'''
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1975
{{column}}
'''[[All-NBA Second Team]]'''
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1974
*[[Randy Smith (basketball)|Randy Smith]]&nbsp;– 1976

'''[[NBA All-Rookie First Team]]'''
*[[Elmore Smith]]&nbsp;– 1972
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1973
*[[Ernie DiGregorio]]&nbsp;– 1974
*[[John Shumate]]&nbsp;– 1976
*[[Adrian Dantley]]&nbsp;– 1977
{{columns-end}}

===NBA All-Star Weekend===

'''[[NBA All-Star Game|NBA All-Star selections]]'''
*[[Bob Kauffman]]&nbsp;– 1971, 1972, 1973
*[[Bob McAdoo]]&nbsp;– 1974, 1975, 1976
*[[Randy Smith (basketball)|Randy Smith]]&nbsp;– 1976, 1978

'''[[National Basketball Association All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award|NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player]]'''
*[[Randy Smith (basketball)|Randy Smith]]&nbsp;– 1978

==Broadcasting==
For most of the team's existence, [[WBEN (AM)|WBEN]] (930 AM) was the radio home of the Buffalo Braves, with [[Van Miller]] on play-by-play. Miller also called play-by-play on the team's telecasts over WBEN-TV (channel 4, now [[WIVB-TV]]), the local CBS television affiliate. Snyder claimed that the Braves broadcasts were drawing far higher ratings than the Sabres at the time and insisted that if he had managed to keep the Braves in Buffalo, the Sabres would have been the team eventually forced to move out of the city.<ref name=snyder2016/>

==Season-by-season records==
{| class="wikitable"
|bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|<small>'''League Champions''' </small>
|bgcolor="#ddffdd"|<small>'''Conference Champions'''</small>
|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|<small>'''Division Champions'''</small>
|bgcolor="#96CDCD"|<small>'''Playoff Berth'''</small>
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%;"
|-
!rowspan="2"|[[List of NBA seasons|Season]]
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|[[List of basketball leagues|League]]
!rowspan="2"|Conference
!rowspan="2"|Division
!colspan="6"|[[National Basketball Association#Regular season|Regular Season]]
!rowspan="2"|[[National Basketball Association Playoffs|Post-season]] results
|-
!Conf. Finish
!Div. Finish
!Wins
!Losses
![[Winning percentage|Win%]]
![[Games behind|GB]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1970–71 NBA season|1970–71]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1970–71 Buffalo Braves season|1970–71]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;"|7th
| style="text-align:center;"|4th
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| style="text-align:center;"|60
| style="text-align:center;"|.268
| style="text-align:center;"|30
||
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1971–72 NBA season|1971–72]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1971–72 Buffalo Braves season|1971–72]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;"|8th
| style="text-align:center;"|4th
| style="text-align:center;"|22
| style="text-align:center;"|60
| style="text-align:center;"|.268
| style="text-align:center;"|34
||
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1972–73 NBA season|1972–73]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1972–73 Buffalo Braves season|1972–73]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;"|7th
| style="text-align:center;"|3rd
| style="text-align:center;"|21
| style="text-align:center;"|61
| style="text-align:center;"|.256
| style="text-align:center;"|47
||
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1973–74 NBA season|1973–74]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1973–74 Buffalo Braves season|1973–74]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|4th
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|3rd
| style="text-align:center;"|42
| style="text-align:center;"|40
| style="text-align:center;"|.512
| style="text-align:center;"|14
| Lost [[1974 NBA Playoffs|conference semifinals]] to [[Boston Celtics]], 2–4
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1974–75 NBA season|1974–75]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1974–75 Buffalo Braves season|1974–75]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|3rd
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|2nd
| style="text-align:center;"|49
| style="text-align:center;"|33
| style="text-align:center;"|.598
| style="text-align:center;"|11
| Lost [[1975 NBA Playoffs|conference semifinals]] to [[Washington Bullets]], 3–4
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1975–76 NBA season|1975–76]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1975–76 Buffalo Braves season|1975–76]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|5th
| style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#96CDCD"|2nd
| style="text-align:center;"|46
| style="text-align:center;"|36
| style="text-align:center;"|.561
| style="text-align:center;"|8
| '''Won''' [[1976 NBA Playoffs|First round]] vs. [[Philadelphia 76ers]], 2–1 <br /> Lost [[1976 NBA Playoffs|conference semifinals]] to [[Boston Celtics]], 2–4
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1976–77 NBA season|1976–77]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1976–77 Buffalo Braves season|1976–77]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;"|10th
| style="text-align:center;"|4th
| style="text-align:center;"|30
| style="text-align:center;"|52
| style="text-align:center;"|.366
| style="text-align:center;"|20
||
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1977–78 NBA season|1977–78]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[1977–78 Buffalo Braves season|1977–78]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Eastern Conference (NBA)|Eastern]]
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic]]
| style="text-align:center;"|10th
| style="text-align:center;"|4th
| style="text-align:center;"|27
| style="text-align:center;"|55
| style="text-align:center;"|.329
| style="text-align:center;"|28
||
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170906192028/http://www.nba.com/clippers/history-buffalo-braves.html THE OFFICIAL PAGE OF THE BUFFALO BRAVES (at Clippers.com) (Archived)]

{{Los Angeles Clippers}}
{{Buffalo Braves}}
{{Buffalo Braves seasons}}
{{NBArelocated}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buffalo Braves}}
[[Category:Buffalo Braves| ]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Clippers]]
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1970]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1978]]
[[Category:Sports clubs and teams in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Relocated NBA teams]]
[[Category:Basketball teams in Toronto]]