1977–78 Buffalo Braves season

The 1977–78 NBA season was the Braves' eighth and final season in the NBA. Entering the season, the Braves were allowed an escape clause in their lease, because season ticket sales did not reach the set goal of 4,500. The Braves suffered another disappointment as Tiny Archibald (whom they acquired from the New Jersey Nets for George Johnson) was lost for the year due to an Achilles tendon injury in the preseason.

1977–78 Buffalo Braves season
Head coach	Cotton Fitzsimmons
General manager	Norm Sonju
President	Norm Sonju
Owners	John Y. Brown Jr. Harry T. Mangurian Jr.
Arena	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Results
Record	27–55 (.329)
Place	Division: 4th (Atlantic) Conference: 10th (Eastern)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	WIVB-TV
Radio	WBEN

The Braves played competitively in November with a respectable .500 record at 10–10. Despite the promising start, the Braves won just nine games over the next three months. While the Braves were struggling on the court, 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 offered 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 finished in fourth place in the Atlantic Division with a 27–55 (.329) record, and played their last game on April 9, ironically, in Boston. Owners voted 21–1 to approve the deal, and the Braves moved from Buffalo to San Diego; the team was renamed the San Diego Clippers for the 1978–79 season.

The deal also included a seven-player trade in which the Celtics acquired Archibald, Billy Knight, and Marvin Barnes. The San Diego-bound Braves received 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 in 1979.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 1977 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	24	Larry Johnson	Guard	United States	Kentucky
4	68	Melvin Watkins	Guard	United States	UNC Charlotte
5	90	Mike Hanley	Forward	United States	Niagara University
6	112	Curvan Lewis	Forward	United States	Virginia Union
7	133	Mike Jackson	Guard	United States	Tennessee
8	153	Emery Sammons	Guard	United States	Philadelphia T&S

Roster

Buffalo Braves 1977–78 roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. From G 1 Archibald, Nate  (IN) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) UTEP G 15 Averitt, Bird 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Pepperdine F 8 Barnes, Marvin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Providence G 7 Brokaw, Gary 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Notre Dame F 22 Gerard, Gus (to DET) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Virginia G 14 Glenn, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Southern Illinois G 10 Johnson, Larry 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Kentucky F 24 Jones, Wil 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Albany State G 25 Knight, Billy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Pittsburgh C 45 Lloyd, Scott 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Arizona State G 12 McClain, Ted 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Tennessee State C 44 McDaniels, Jim 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Western Kentucky F 43 McNeil, Larry 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Marquette C 31 Nater, Swen 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) UCLA F 40 Owens, Eddie 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) UNLV F 34 Shumate, John 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Notre Dame G 9 Smith, Randy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Buffalo State G 11 Williams, Chuck 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Colorado F 32 Willoughby, Bill 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Dwight Morrow HS (NJ)	Head coach Cotton Fitzsimmons Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Philadelphia 76ers	55	27	.671	–	37–4	18–23	14–2
x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	12	29–12	14–27	7–9
Boston Celtics	32	50	.390	23	24–17	8–33	8–8
Buffalo Braves	27	55	.329	28	20–21	7–34	7–9
New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	31	18–23	6–35	4–12

#	Eastern Conference
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Philadelphia 76ers	55	27	.671	–
2	y-San Antonio Spurs	52	30	.634	3
3	x-Washington Bullets	44	38	.537	11
4	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	43	39	.524	12
5	x-New York Knicks	43	39	.524	12
6	x-Atlanta Hawks	41	41	.500	14
7	New Orleans Jazz	39	43	.476	16
8	Boston Celtics	32	50	.390	23
9	Houston Rockets	28	54	.341	27
10	Buffalo Braves	27	55	.329	28
11	New Jersey Nets	24	58	.293	31

Record vs. opponents

1977–78 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	BUF	CHI	CLE	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	KCK	LAL	MIL	NJN	NOJ	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAS	SEA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–1	1–3
Boston	2–2	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	1–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	0–4	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–3
Buffalo	1–3	1–3	—	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	0–3	3–1	1–3	1–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	0–4	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3
Chicago	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–2	2–2	1–3	3–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–1
Cleveland	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	2–2
Denver	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	—	2–2	2–2	3–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–1	1–3	3–1
Detroit	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–0	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2
Golden State	3–1	2–2	3–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	—	2–1	3–1	3–1	0–4	2–2	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	2–2
Houston	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–2	—	3–1	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	1–3
Indiana	1–3	1–2	3–1	1–3	1–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	—	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	3–1
Kansas City	1–2	2–2	2–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	0–4	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	0–4	1–3	2–2
Los Angeles	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	4–0	2–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2
Milwaukee	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–0	4–0	1–3	—	3–1	2–1	3–1	1–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1
New Jersey	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2	0–4	1–3	—	0–4	1–3	0–4	2–2	0–3	0–4	2–2	2–2
New Orleans	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–2	1–2	4–0	—	1–3	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–3	2–2	0–4
New York	2–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–0	2–2	2–2	3–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	3–1	—	1–3	1–3	1–3	2–2	2–1	2–2
Philadelphia	2–2	4–0	3–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	2–2	2–1	4–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2
Phoenix	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	1–2	—	1–3	2–2	2–2	2–2
Portland	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	4–0	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	4–0	4–0	3–1	3–1	1–3	3–0	2–2	3–1	—	2–2	3–1	2–1
San Antonio	3–1	4–0	3–1	2–2	4–0	1–2	2–1	1–3	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–2	2–2
Seattle	1–2	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	4–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	—	1–3
Washington	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	4–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–2	2–2	3–1	—

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
Billy Knight	53	40.7	8.6	17.5	0.494	5.7	7.0	0.809	2.4	4.8	7.2	3.0	1.5	0.2	2.6	22.9
Randy Smith	82	40.4	9.6	20.7	0.465	5.4	6.8	0.800	1.3	2.4	3.8	5.6	2.1	0.1	2.7	24.6
Swen Nater	78	35.6	6.4	12.7	0.504	2.7	3.5	0.765	3.6	9.6	13.2	2.8	0.5	0.6	3.5	15.5
John Shumate	18	32.8	4.2	8.4	0.497	4.1	5.5	0.747	1.8	5.3	7.1	3.2	0.8	0.5	3.2	12.4
Marvin Barnes	48	28.7	4.7	11.3	0.416	2.4	3.2	0.745	2.2	5.0	7.3	2.4	1.2	1.5	4.1	11.8
Chuck Williams	73	27.4	2.8	6.0	0.477	1.6	1.9	0.826	0.4	1.5	1.9	4.3	0.7	0.1	1.9	7.3
Larry McNeill	37	23.6	4.2	9.1	0.462	3.5	4.2	0.833	2.1	3.0	5.1	1.2	0.5	0.3	2.7	11.9
Wil Jones	79	21.7	2.9	6.5	0.440	1.1	1.5	0.706	1.3	2.9	4.2	1.5	0.9	0.5	3.2	6.8
Bird Averitt	34	19.9	3.8	8.7	0.436	1.9	2.8	0.667	0.3	1.2	1.5	3.8	0.6	0.2	2.5	9.5
Bill Willoughby	56	19.3	2.8	6.5	0.430	1.1	1.4	0.800	1.4	2.6	3.9	0.7	0.4	0.8	2.3	6.7
Ted McClain	41	17.7	2.0	4.5	0.440	1.2	1.5	0.794	0.3	1.6	1.8	3.0	1.0	0.0	2.1	5.2
Mike Glenn	56	16.9	3.5	6.6	0.527	0.9	1.2	0.785	0.3	1.2	1.4	1.4	0.6	0.1	1.8	7.9
Jim McDaniels	42	16.5	2.4	5.6	0.427	0.9	1.0	0.857	1.1	3.2	4.3	1.0	0.1	0.9	2.7	5.6
Scott Lloyd	56	10.1	1.2	2.9	0.425	0.8	1.0	0.741	0.8	1.3	2.1	0.6	0.2	0.2	1.5	3.2
Gary Brokaw	13	10.0	1.4	3.3	0.419	1.4	1.8	0.750	0.2	0.7	0.9	1.5	0.2	0.4	0.8	4.2
Larry Johnson	4	9.5	0.8	3.3	0.231	0.0	0.5	0.000	0.3	1.0	1.3	1.8	1.3	0.5	0.8	1.5
Gus Gerard	10	8.5	1.6	4.0	0.400	1.1	1.5	0.733	0.6	0.8	1.4	0.9	0.2	0.3	1.3	4.3
Eddie Owens	8	7.9	1.1	2.6	0.429	0.4	0.8	0.500	0.6	0.6	1.3	0.6	0.1	0.0	0.4	1.1

Awards and honors

• Randy Smith, 1978 NBA All-Star Game MVP

Transactions

The Braves were involved in the following transactions during the 1977–78 season.

Coaching Change

Offseason
Outgoing Coach	Date Removed	1976-77 Record	Incoming Coach
Joe Mullaney (interim)	Fired, August 5, 1977	11–18	Cotton Fitzsimmons

Trades

June 7, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Swen Nater & the 13th pick in the 1977 NBA Draft	To Milwaukee Bucks The 3rd pick in the 1977 NBA Draft
June 10, 1977	To Buffalo Braves A 1977 2nd round draft pick	To Chicago Bulls The 13th pick in the 1977 NBA Draft
June 10, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Johnny Neumann	To Los Angeles Lakers A 1977 3rd round draft pick
August 5, 1977	To Buffalo Braves A 1978 3rd round draft pick as compensation	To Detroit Pistons The right to sign Don Adams as a veteran free agent
September 1, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Tiny Archibald	To New Jersey Nets George Johnson, a 1978 1st round draft pick & a 1979 1st round draft pick.
September 1, 1977	To Buffalo Braves The right to sign Mike Bantom as a veteran free agent	To New Jersey Nets A future 4th round draft pick as compensation
September 1, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Billy Knight	To Indiana Pacers Adrian Dantley & Mike Bantom
September 2, 1977	To Buffalo Braves A 1979 1st round draft pick	To Milwaukee Bucks John Gianelli
September 7, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Cash considerations	To Los Angeles Lakers Ernie DiGregorio
September 13, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Bill Willoughby	To Atlanta Hawks A 1978 2nd round draft pick
October 3, 1977	To Buffalo Braves The right to sign Wil Jones as a veteran free agent	To Indiana Pacers A 1980 2nd round draft pick as compensation
October 6, 1977	To Buffalo Braves The right to sign Ted McClain as a veteran free agent	To Denver Nuggets A 1978 3rd round draft pick as compensation
October 17, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Gary Brokaw	To Cleveland Cavaliers Future considerations
October 18, 1977	To Buffalo Braves A 1978 3rd round draft pick	To Indiana Pacers Johnny Neumann
November 23, 1977	To Buffalo Braves Marvin Barnes and a 1978 2nd & 4th round draft picks	To Detroit Pistons Gus Gerard, John Shumate & a 1979 1st round draft pick
January 31, 1978	To Buffalo Braves A 1978 3rd round draft pick	To Philadelphia 76ers Ted McClain

Free agents

Additions

Player	Signed	Former team
Mike Bantom	September 1	New Jersey Nets
Jim McDaniels	September 20	Kentucky Colonels (ABA)
Wil Jones	October 3	Indiana Pacers
Ted McClain	October 6	Denver Nuggets
Scott Lloyd	December 8	Milwaukee Bucks
Mike Glenn	December 14	Chicago Bulls
Bird Averitt	January 31	New Jersey Nets
Larry McNeill	February 2	Golden State Warriors
Eddie Owens	March 8	Rochester Zeniths(AABA)

Subtractions

Player	Left	New team
Don Adams	free agency, August 5	Detroit Pistons
Fred Foster	waived, September 11	Retired
Bird Averitt	contract sold, September 16	New Jersey Nets
Larry Johnson	waived, November 14 signed as free agent, November 26 waived, December 8	Matsushita Denki (JBL)
Gary Brokaw	waived, December 14	Iona College (head coach)
Jim McDaniels	waived, February 2	Retired

References

• Braves on Database Basketball
• Braves on Basketball Reference