The 1975–76 Buffalo Braves season was the sixth season for the expansion

Buffalo Braves The Buffalo Braves were an American professional basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The Braves competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference ...

franchise in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

and its Atlantic Division. It was the team's fourth season under

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Jack Ramsay John Travilla Ramsay (February 21, 1925 – April 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" (as he held an earned doctorate). He was best known for leading the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA championship, ...

. The team's official home arena was

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball, Canisius Golden Griffins (Nationa ...

Bob McAdoo Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. ( ; born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and named the NBA Mos ...

led the league in scoring for the third consecutive year with 31.1 points per game.Buffalo Braves (1970–1978)
/ref> 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 Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. 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 The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

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 Ernest DiGregorio (born January 15, 1951), also known as "Ernie D.", is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Buffalo Braves, Los Angeles Lakers, and Boston Celtics from ...

was benched and McAdoo was suspended. Following the season the Braves allowed coach

to depart for the head coaching job with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. 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 draft The 1975 NBA draft was the 29th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 no players drafted by the team that year played for the 1975–76 Buffalo.

1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and 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 ot ...

pick

Tom McMillen Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from January 3, 1987, to January 3, 1993 ...

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 Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

and completed the first year of his

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

. However, he reached an agreement with Oxford to complete his second year during the summer in order to begin his

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 Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. Bob McAdoo had 29 points in the contest in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

but the Pacers won, 106–105. On October 11, 15,000 fans attended the Braves' home game against the ABA's

New York Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

. The Braves held New York's star

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

to 16 points but the Nets prevailed 109–83. On October 14 the Braves traveled to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, to face the ABA's

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...

. 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 The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. 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 ( ; born April 27, 1952), nicknamed "the Iceman", is an American former professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, ...

. The very next night the Braves again faced the New York Nets, this time at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. 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.

Roster

Roster Notes

* Forward Jack Marin would get traded away to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in November. * Forward

Gar Heard Garfield Heard (born May 3, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player and coach. He played collegiately at the University of Oklahoma and was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) in the third rou ...

would get traded away to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

in February. * Forwards Steve Kuberski and Jim Washington played in only 10 games and 1 game respectively before being waived in November.

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 Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...

'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 The 1976 NBA All Star Game was played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, on February 3, 1976. Philadelphia hosted three of the major four league All-Star games in honor of the Bicenntenial. Dave Bing was the MVP. It was also the final NBA All-S ...

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 game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

s and placed second in the MVP voting despite not making the All-NBA team that included centers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

and

Dave Cowens David William Cowens ( ; born October 25, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. At , he played the center position and occasionally played power forward. Cowens spent most of his playing career with the B ...

. McAdoo led the winning east team in scoring with 22 points in the All-Star game, but

Dave Bing David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring at ...

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 The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

. Although the

Buffalo Common Council The Buffalo Common Council is the legislative branch of the city of Buffalo, New York government. It is a representative assembly, with one elected member from each of nine districts: Niagara, Delaware, Masten, Ellicott, Lovejoy, Fillmore, North ...

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 A bench-clearing brawl is a form of fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, where most or all players on both teams leave their Dugout (baseball), dugouts, bullpens, or benches, and charge onto the playing area in or ...

erupted as a result of an incident between Bucks Gary Brokaw and

Bob Dandridge Robert L. Dandridge Jr. (born November 15, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Greyhound", Dandridge was a four-time NBA All-Star and two-time NBA champion, who scored 15,530 points in his career. He was ele ...

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 James Bernett "Bunny" Chones (born November 30, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player, and current radio analyst for the Cleveland Cavaliers. A 6'11" forward/ center, Chones starred at Marquette University, where he earned ...

. 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 The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

on January 2 and January 3, and then defeating the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

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

. That night,

John Havlicek John Joseph Havlicek (often nicknamed Hondo) ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A swingman, Hav ...

became the NBAs fourth leading scorer, surpassing

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

. 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

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

on April 6, but when the

qualified for the

1976 Stanley Cup playoffs Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

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 The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

and lost on St. Louis in a best of three series on that date.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Season schedule

, - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 1 , , October 25 , , Golden State Warriors , , 105–92 , , 1–0 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 2 , , October 28 , , Houston Rockets , , 124–108 , , 2–0 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 3 , , October 31 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 92–87 , , 3–0 , , Win 3 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 4 , , November 1 , , Detroit Pistons , , 97–93 , , 4–0 , , Win 4 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 5 , , November 4 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 114–121 , , 4–1 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 6 , , November 5 , , @ Boston Celtics , , 95–105 , , 4–2 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 7 , , November 8 , , Phoenix Suns , , 110–105 , , 5–2 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 8 , , November 11 , , Washington Bullets , , 90–105 , , 5–3 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 9 , , November 12 , , @ Houston Rockets , , 93–80 , , 6–3 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 10 , , November 14 , , @ Milwaukee Bucks , , 112–98 , , 7–3 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 11 , , November 15 , , Boston Celtics , , 110–112 , , 7–4 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 12 , , November 18 , , Los Angeles Lakers , , 120–106 , , 8–4 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 13 , , November 20 , , @ Cleveland Cavaliers , , 118–115 (OT) , , 9–4 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 14 , , November 21 , , @ Detroit Pistons , , 94–104 , , 9–5 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 15 , , November 22 , , Portland Trail Blazers , , 104–109 , , 9–6 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 16 , , November 26 , , @ Phoenix Suns , , 106–107 , , 9–7 , , Loss 3 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 17 , , November 28 , , @ Los Angeles Lakers , , 105–126 , , 9–8 , , Loss 4 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 18 , , November 29 , , @ Portland Trail Blazers , , 115–130 , , 9–9 , , Loss 5 , - , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 19 , , December 2 , , New Orleans Jazz , , 96–108 , , 9–10 , , Loss 6 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 20 , , December 5 , , Cleveland Cavaliers , , 125–88 , , 10–10 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 21 , , December 6 , , @ New York Knicks , , 98–108 , , 10–11 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 22 , , December 9 , , Kansas City Kings , , 126–107 , , 11–11 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 23 , , December 11 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 99–122 , , 11–12 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 24 , , December 12 , , New York Knicks , , 123–110 , , 12–12 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 25 , , December 13 , , @ Chicago Bulls , , 103–101 , , 13–12 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 26 , , December 16 , , @ Washington Bullets , , 94–100 , , 13–13 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 27 , , December 17 , , Houston Rockets , , 88–85 , , 14–13 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 28 , , December 19 , , Washington Bullets , , 104–88 , , 15–13 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 29 , , December 20 , , @ Kansas City Kings , , 117–110 , , 16–13 , , Win 3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 30 , , December 23 , , Boston Celtics , , 101–92 , , 17–13 , , Win 4 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 31 , , December 26 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 95–96 , , 17–14 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 32 , , December 27 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 130–105 , , 18–14 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 33 , , December 28 , , @ Cleveland Cavaliers , , 88–111 , , 18–15 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 34 , , December 30 , , Milwaukee Bucks , , 118–106 , , 19–15 , , Win 1 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 35 , , January 2 , , New York Knicks , , 106–105 , , 20–15 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 36 , , January 3 , , @ New York Knicks , , 106–107 , , 20–16 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 37 , , January 6 , , Los Angeles Lakers , , 114–113 , , 21–16 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 38 , , January 9 , , Chicago Bulls , , 100–107 , , 21–17 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 39 , , January 11 , , @ Seattle SuperSonics , , 125–104 , , 22–17 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 40 , , January 13 , , @ Golden State Warriors , , 101–127 , , 22–18 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 41 , , January 15 , , @ Phoenix Suns , , 126–119 , , 23–18 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 42 , , January 16 , , @ Chicago Bulls , , 110–104 , , 24–18 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 43 , , January 17 , , Seattle SuperSonics , , 110–101 , , 25–18 , , Win 3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 44 , , January 20 , , Phoenix Suns , , 112–103 , , 26–18 , , Win 4 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 45 , , January 21 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 102–94 , , 27–18 , , Win 5 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 46 , , January 23 , , Atlanta Hawks , , 119–104 , , 28–18 , , Win 6 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 47 , , January 25 , , @ Boston Celtics , , 107–135 , , 28–19 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 48 , , January 27 , , New Orleans Jazz , , 129–105 , , 29–19 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 49 , , January 28 , , @ New Orleans Jazz , , 126–112 , , 30–19 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 50 , , January 31 , , Boston Celtics , , 100–109 , , 30–20 , , Loss 1 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 51 , , February 6 , , Milwaukee Bucks , , 109–104 , , 31–20 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 52 , , February 8 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 97–100 , , 31–21 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 53 , , February 10 , , Washington Bullets , , 115–105 , , 32–21 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 54 , , February 13 , , @ Kansas City Kings , , 101–96 , , 33–21 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 55 , , February 14 , , Cleveland Cavaliers , , 111–114 , , 33–22 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 56 , , February 15 , , @ Atlanta Hawks , , 104–112 , , 33–23 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 57 , , February 17 , , Portland Trail Blazers , , 116–113 , , 34–23 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 58 , , February 21 , , Detroit Pistons , , 112–114 , , 34–24 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 59 , , February 24 , , @ New York Knicks , , 109–103 , , 35–24 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 60 , , February 25 , , Seattle SuperSonics , , 94–126 , , 35–25 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 61 , , February 27 , , Houston Rockets , , 107–113 , , 35–26 , , Loss 2 , - , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 62 , , March 2 , , Golden State Warriors , , 93–100 , , 35–27 , , Loss 3 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 63 , , March 6 , , Philadelphia 76ers , , 105–99 , , 36–27 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 64 , , March 10 , , @ New Orleans Jazz , , 120–105 , , 37–27 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 65 , , March 12 , , Houston Rockets , , 100–113 , , 37–28 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 66 , , March 14 , , @ Los Angeles Lakers , , 109–137 , , 37–29 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 67 , , March 16 , , @ Portland Trail Blazers , , 112–95 , , 38–29 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 68 , , March 17 , , @ Seattle SuperSonics , , 111–122 , , 38–30 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 69 , , March 18 , , @ Golden State Warriors , , 109–110 , , 38–31 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 70 , , March 20 , , New Orleans Jazz , , 115–101 , , 39–31 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 71 , , March 21 , , @ Detroit Pistons , , 112–118 , , 39–32 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 72 , , March 23 , , Chicago Bulls , , 122–109 , , 40–32 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 73 , , March 25 , , @ Cleveland Cavaliers , , 109–94 , , 41–32 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 74 , , March 26 , , @ Milwaukee Bucks , , 92–123 , , 41–33 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 75 , , March 28 , , @ Washington Bullets , , 90–113 , , 41–34 , , Loss 2 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 76 , , March 30 , , Boston Celtics , , 93–83 , , 42–34 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 77 , , March 31 , , @ Philadelphia 76ers , , 103–107 , , 42–35 , , Loss 1 , - , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 78 , , April 2 , , Atlanta Hawks , , 101–93 , , 43–35 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 79 , , April 4 , , @ Boston Celtics , , 117–114 , , 44–35 , , Win 2 , - bgcolor="ffcccc" , 80 , , April 6 , , New York Knicks , , 102–106 , , 44–36 , , Loss 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 81 , , April 8 , , @ New York Knicks , , 105–98 , , 45–36 , , Win 1 , - bgcolor="bbffbb" , 82 , , April 11 , , Kansas City Kings , , 99–98 , , 46–36 , , Win 2 , -

Playoffs

In the

1976 NBA Playoffs The 1976 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1975–76 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns ...

, 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

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 George F. McGinnis (August 12, 1950 – December 14, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball ...

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 is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

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 Fredrick James Carter (born February 14, 1945), nicknamed "Mad Dog" or "Doggy", is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons (1969– 77) for the Balti ...

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. The win over Philadelphia would be the Braves' only playoff series win in Buffalo; in fact, it would be their only playoff victory in the first 35 years of the franchise, until the twice-relocated

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

eliminated the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

in 2006. ;Second round In the second round, the Braves opposed the Eastern Conference regular season champion

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.

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

, his replacements

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

and Steve Kuberski stepped up to enable the Celtics to take a 2–0 lead in the series 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 Charles or Charlie Scott may refer to: Politicians * Charles Scott (governor) (1739–1813), American Revolutionary War soldier and fourth governor of Kentucky * Charles L. Scott (1827–1899), U.S. Representative from California * Charles Frederic ...

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 Joseph Henry White (November 16, 1946 – January 16, 2018) was an American professional basketball player. As an amateur, he played at the University of Kansas, where he was named a second-team All-American twice. White was part of the U.S. m ...

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

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 15 , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

W 95–89
,

(36) ,

(21) , Randy Smith (13) ,

Spectrum A spectrum (: spectra or spectrums) is a set of related ideas, objects, or properties whose features overlap such that they blend to form a continuum. The word ''spectrum'' was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of co ...

14,352 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 16 ,

L 106–131
, Randy Smith (27) ,

(13) , Randy Smith (7) ,

12,049 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 18 , @

W 124–123 (OT)
,

(34) ,

(22) , Randy Smith (11) ,

13,087 , 2–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , April 21 , @

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

L 98–107
, Randy Smith (27) , Randy Smith (10) , Randy Smith (12) ,

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

13,919 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , April 23 , @

L 96–101
,

(40) , John Shumate (11) , Randy Smith (7) ,

15,320 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 25 ,

W 98–93
, Randy Smith (29) , Randy Smith (14) ,

(10) ,

12,079 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 28 ,

W 124–122
,

(30) ,

(17) , Randy Smith (10) ,

16,193 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 5 , April 30 , @

L 88–99
,

(23) ,

(14) ,

(6) ,

15,320 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 2 ,

L 100–104
,

(28) , John Shumate (16) ,

(8) ,

16,261 , 2–4 , - Source
www.basketball-reference.com

Player stats

Awards and honors

* Bob McAdoo, NBA Scoring Champion * Bob McAdoo,

* Randy Smith,

* 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

Transactions

On October 14, 1975, the Braves lost Lee Winfield on waivers to the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

. 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

for a

1977 NBA draft The 1977 NBA draft was the 31st annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 player ...

1st round pick. On February 1, 1976,

was dealt with a

1976 NBA draft The 1976 NBA draft was the 30th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 ...

2nd round pick to the

for John Shumate. The Braves were involved in the following transactions during the 1975–76 season.

Trades

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

External links

*
Braves on Basketball Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:1975-76 Buffalo Braves season Buffalo Braves seasons Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo