seq004 Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 I just watched parts of the 1975 semi-finals game when McAdoo scored 50 points and the Braves won and tied the series against the Bullets. The Bullets went on two win the series in 7 games and sadly big Bob and the team were gone 2 years later but I'm so happy I got that on ECL. I can still here Van Miller (who broadcast the games before going to the Bills when the Braves left) say "Two for McAdoo!" It kind of gave me a chill especially knowing that I was an 11 year old kid at that game and remembering how excited myself, Dad and brother were at that game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted June 18, 2005 Share Posted June 18, 2005 They robbed our Braves. I have scrapbooks of the Braves, Sabres and Bills from the 70's. 1970 was awesome with both the Braves and the Sabres as expansion teams. I used to "illegally" stay awake after my bed time to listen to both the Braves and the Sabres with an old classic radio on my nightstand and a transistor radio under my pillow while monitoring the sounds of the "inspectors" coming up the stairs! Sometimes, I would fall asleep with my radios still on and my mother would come in and throw a fit. But she know there was nothing she could do other than take away the radios! And that she didn't have the heart to do! I saw McAdoo score what I believe was 53 points at the Aud! THe series win against the Bullets was the Braves only series win! The Braves were very popular until John Y. Brown sold off the star players in his scheme to sell off the team to interests who wanted another west coast team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 I just watched parts of the 1975 semi-finals game when McAdoo scored 50 points and the Braves won and tied the series against the Bullets. The Bullets went on two win the series in 7 games and sadly big Bob and the team were gone 2 years later but I'm so happy I got that on ECL. I can still here Van Miller (who broadcast the games before going to the Bills when the Braves left) say "Two for McAdoo!" It kind of gave me a chill especially knowing that I was an 11 year old kid at that game and remembering how excited myself, Dad and brother were at that game. 361742[/snapback] Where did you see this? I have never seen any old Braves games at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 I have seen this game, as well as a Braves/Cletics playoff game at the Aud (JoJo White ripped our hearts out!) on vidoe tape, both taoed off of ESPN Classic, the year McAdoo was inducted into the NBA hall of fame (2002 I think!), along with a very cool NBA Legends special about McAdoo. Anyone out there have a copy of the "Big Mac" single, recorded by Randy Smith? I would kill a drifter for one.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lamb Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 I just watched parts of the 1975 semi-finals game when McAdoo scored 50 points and the Braves won and tied the series against the Bullets. The Bullets went on two win the series in 7 games and sadly big Bob and the team were gone 2 years later but I'm so happy I got that on ECL. I can still here Van Miller (who broadcast the games before going to the Bills when the Braves left) say "Two for McAdoo!" It kind of gave me a chill especially knowing that I was an 11 year old kid at that game and remembering how excited myself, Dad and brother were at that game. 361742[/snapback] I used to go to the Braves games for $4 (orange) on my student ID and so thoroughly enjoyed the old NBA - Big Bob (so skinny), Randy Smith (Buff State) and Ernie D. (he and Marvin Barnes from Providence) Adrian Dantley aand John Shumate as #1's So much Potential - But Paul Snyder (who screwed so many) was screwed by the Knoxes (for playing dates) and John Y / Henry Mangurian (sic) completed all the screwing there was to do in the Aud This SI Cover hangs on my wall to this day http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...bayphotohosting Heard makes the bucket, MacAdoo is behind him and under the label is over Jim McMilliam. Randy is the backcourt. I was there in SRO the night Darrel Garrelston called "The Foul" I have to remind the yuppies that in the old NBA - you used to score 120 points a night and still lose the game but they don't get it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 sadly I still follow the Clippers. I miss the Braves, I miss the Sabres, hell I miss the Hartford Whalers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckeyebrian Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 They robbed our Braves. I have scrapbooks of the Braves, Sabres and Bills from the 70's. 1970 was awesome with both the Braves and the Sabres as expansion teams. I used to "illegally" stay awake after my bed time to listen to both the Braves and the Sabres with an old classic radio on my nightstand and a transistor radio under my pillow while monitoring the sounds of the "inspectors" coming up the stairs! Sometimes, I would fall asleep with my radios still on and my mother would come in and throw a fit. But she know there was nothing she could do other than take away the radios! And that she didn't have the heart to do! I saw McAdoo score what I believe was 53 points at the Aud! THe series win against the Bullets was the Braves only series win! The Braves were very popular until John Y. Brown sold off the star players in his scheme to sell off the team to interests who wanted another west coast team. 361750[/snapback] What John Y. Brown did became the basis for the screen-play in the original "Major League" movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seq004 Posted June 19, 2005 Author Share Posted June 19, 2005 Where did you see this? I have never seen any old Braves games at all. 361781[/snapback] It was on ESPN Classic Chalkie. They were actually doing a Bob McAdoo feature so they included his best years which were in Buffalo. They played some of that playoff game. They also played that song by Randy Smith, Bob's 2001 HOF induction, they even showed Ernie D. My Dad was really into Buffalo sports when I was growing up in the 70's and believe it or not we started going to the Braves games before I ever went to a Bills or Sabres game. He refused to take me to the Rockpile because he said their was to much crime there, so I had to wait till 1973 before I got to a Bills game. They had Cliff Robertson of the Suns and formerly of Portland on because he grew up in Buffalo had his favorite player was McAdoo. They said he also loves the Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ennjay Posted June 19, 2005 Share Posted June 19, 2005 Once upon a time our town had O.J. Simpson (the athlete; put aside what came later), Robert McAdoo, and Gil Perreault all in their primes at the same time. That was the golden era of Buffalo primetime big league sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 They robbed our Braves. The Braves were very popular until John Y. Brown sold off the star players in his scheme to sell off the team to interests who wanted another west coast team. 361750[/snapback] The Celtics owner wanted to move west. There was no way they were gonna let him and move the NBA icon they call the Celtics. They swapped teams (the owners) with the Braves and moved the Braves to SD. David Stern was league attorny at the time and brokered the deal. What a raw deal... Makes me hate any Boston team that much greater! Think this is the way it played out? Any input? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BackInDaDay Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Once upon a time our town had O.J. Simpson (the athlete; put aside what came later), Robert McAdoo, and Gil Perreault all in their primes at the same time. That was the golden era of Buffalo primetime big league sports. 361901[/snapback] Amen, brother. I'm not from Buffalo but because the Bills were my favorite team, in my favorite sport, I began rooting for all the Buffalo teams. The French Connection Line, Schoenfeld, Ramsay, and those great jerseys... man, oh, man. And the Braves.. I just finished shooting hoops with my 15 year-old son, and I showed him that SI cover (thanks, BL)... dad's favorite team when I was his age... Ernie D. They use to compare him to Cousey(?) because they had no one else to compare him to. I love playmaking guards like Nash and Williams (Kings/Grizzlies), but ol' Ernie could really dish it. Thanks for the memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 It was on ESPN Classic Chalkie. They were actually doing a Bob McAdoo feature so they included his best years which were in Buffalo. They played some of that playoff game. They also played that song by Randy Smith, Bob's 2001 HOF induction, they even showed Ernie D. My Dad was really into Buffalo sports when I was growing up in the 70's and believe it or not we started going to the Braves games before I ever went to a Bills or Sabres game. He refused to take me to the Rockpile because he said their was to much crime there, so I had to wait till 1973 before I got to a Bills game. They had Cliff Robertson of the Suns and formerly of Portland on because he grew up in Buffalo had his favorite player was McAdoo. They said he also loves the Bills 361898[/snapback] I can't get that channel on my cable system. I miss out on a lot of the old time stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Once upon a time our town had O.J. Simpson (the athlete; put aside what came later), Robert McAdoo, and Gil Perreault all in their primes at the same time. That was the golden era of Buffalo primetime big league sports. 361901[/snapback] I remember in the 80s how I would either catch a glimpse in the paper or hear about it on the radio of the mid 70s era of Buffalo sports. Had to be pretty exciting. McAdoo lead the NBA in scoring average I believe 3 straight years, and I think he was at 35 ppg one year. The Sabres emerge and get to the Stanley Cup finals in their 5th year of existence......French Connection, etc. OJ hits for over 2000 yards in 1973, and the next two years there were high hopes of a good playoff run. I think the Bills had a 5-0 record in the fall of 1975.....having beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I remember in the 80s how I would either catch a glimpse in the paper or hear about it on the radio of the mid 70s era of Buffalo sports. Had to be pretty exciting. McAdoo lead the NBA in scoring average I believe 3 straight years, and I think he was at 35 ppg one year. The Sabres emerge and get to the Stanley Cup finals in their 5th year of existence......French Connection, etc. OJ hits for over 2000 yards in 1973, and the next two years there were high hopes of a good playoff run. I think the Bills had a 5-0 record in the fall of 1975.....having beaten the Steelers in Pittsburgh as well. 362048[/snapback] The Braves were a very fun team to watch during their short tenure in Buffalo. If I am not mistaken, besides McAdoo being the scoring champ 3 years (and he could play defense as well!), McAdoo, Ernie Digragorio, and Adrian Dantley (of later Mavericks and Pistons "Bad Boys" fame) were all NBA rookies of the year... I remember that Dairylea milk used to run a promotion that if you saved up 20 proofs of purchase, you could mail them in for a free pair of tickets to a Braves game. Needless to say, my brother and I chugged as much milk as we could. We went to 5 or 6 games every year. I rember seeing guys like Kareem (playing for the Bucks) and Rick Berry way back...I loved that team...Randy Smith, Gar Herd, Jack Marin, Dale Schluter...I dare say, for a few years there, I cared more about them than I did the Bills. I played both basketball and football as a kid, and was miserable in football. I had some success in basketball, so I naturally gravitated toward it. I still love the game, but it is a far distant third to football and hockey. Although, the Spurs/Pistons game on right now (tied at 89 with 41 seconds) has been a great contest... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The Braves were a very fun team to watch during their short tenure in Buffalo. If I am not mistaken, besides McAdoo being the scoring champ 3 years (and he could play defense as well!), McAdoo, Ernie Digragorio, and Adrian Dantley (of later Mavericks and Pistons "Bad Boys" fame) were all NBA rookies of the year... I remember that Dairylea milk used to run a promotion that if you saved up 20 proofs of purchase, you could mail them in for a free pair of tickets to a Braves game. Needless to say, my brother and I chugged as much milk as we could. We went to 5 or 6 games every year. I rember seeing guys like Kareem (playing for the Bucks) and Rick Berry way back...I loved that team...Randy Smith, Gar Herd, Jack Marin, Dale Schluter...I dare say, for a few years there, I cared more about them than I did the Bills. I played both basketball and football as a kid, and was miserable in football. I had some success in basketball, so I naturally gravitated toward it. I still love the game, but it is a far distant third to football and hockey. Although, the Spurs/Pistons game on right now (tied at 89 with 41 seconds) has been a great contest... 362072[/snapback] Wasn't Ernie D the first player to sign for 1 mil? I think he got screwed on the deal and never fully collected? ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 The Celtics owner wanted to move west. There was no way they were gonna let him and move the NBA icon they call the Celtics. They swapped teams (the owners) with the Braves and moved the Braves to SD. David Stern was league attorny at the time and brokered the deal. What a raw deal... Makes me hate any Boston team that much greater! Think this is the way it played out? Any input? 361999[/snapback] That is how I understand it. I used to collect the Dairylea milk coupons also but I didn't have anyone to take me downtown as I was a kid so they went unused. I didn't learn about the Knoxes hogging the best dates until I believe it got exposed in one of Rick Azar's final commentaries. I still remember that the Braves were wildly popular despite them not getting the best dates and they still sold the place out with crowds approximating 17,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I still remember that the Braves were wildly popular despite them not getting the best dates and they still sold the place out with crowds approximating 17,000. 362220[/snapback] http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/t...htm?tm=BUF&lg=n Buffalo Braves Attendance Year Total Avg 1977-78 252,457 6,157 1976-77 319,398 7,790 1975-76 418,696 10,212 1974-75 467,267 11,397 1973-74 427,270 10,421 1972-73 321,710 7,847 1971-72 350,852 8,557 1970-71 204,053 4,977 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 And I would bet those 17,000 nights were between 1973 and 1976...!!! http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/t...htm?tm=BUF&lg=nBuffalo Braves Attendance Year Total Avg 1977-78 252,457 6,157 1976-77 319,398 7,790 1975-76 418,696 10,212 1974-75 467,267 11,397 1973-74 427,270 10,421 1972-73 321,710 7,847 1971-72 350,852 8,557 1970-71 204,053 4,977 362224[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPR4444 Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Didn't Van Miller used to do the Braves play by play on radio? i went to a few games as a kid. Gar Heard was my favorite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in SC Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Bob Kaufman anybody? That name must bring back memories for some of you former Braves fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 I am not sure how much of the reason the Braves left was due to the NBA wanting a team in the west coast. The way I recall it, Synder needed money and couldn't afford to keep the team. He basically sold his controlling interest to John Y. Brown. The Braves had assembled a remarkable array of talent that year. A lot of folks forget that we had picked up Nate Archibald (I think the only player ever to lead the league is scoring and assists in the same season, which is remarkable) although he tore up his knee and missed the whole season. They also traded for Moses Malone, and he played in two games of four minutes each before John Y. Brown sold him for a million dollars and kept the cash. Then he sold Jim McMillan, another very good player, for cash, and traded McAdoo for John Gianelli and cash. Brown had made a deal with Snyder that said he would retain all money he receieved in player deals. So Brown, the biggest scumbag in Buffalo sports history, sold all those players and ended up keeping all the money and paying virtually nothing for the franchise. His goal was to own the Celtics. Over the last two years the city was so pissed no one went to the games and he used that excuse to try to sell the team and move them. Yes, the Celtic owner wanted to be on the west coast, so the made some strange swap of players and franchises. It was actually David Stern who came up with the scenario (before he was commish). The Braves moved to San Diego but with only half the good players, the other half were from the Celtics. The Celtics got Archibald, Billy Knight (who Brown traded rookie of the year Adrian Dantley for) and Marvin Barnes. From the Celtics, the Clippers got Kermit Washington (of the famous Rudy T punch), Freeman Williams and Sidney Wicks, who were all washed up. That was the same year the Celts drafted Larry Bird, which figured in the deal some way (the Celts wouldn't do it if they had to use the draft pick). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mphs mike Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 Bob Kaufman anybody? That name must bring back memories for some of you former Braves fans. 362336[/snapback] It does for me - I remember him as the Braves best player the first year or two of the franchise. As a 9 year old I thought he also owned the bakey on Main I'd pass with Dad on our way to the Aud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 20, 2005 Share Posted June 20, 2005 It does for me - I remember him as the Braves best player the first year or two of the franchise. As a 9 year old I thought he also owned the bakey on Main I'd pass with Dad on our way to the Aud! 362401[/snapback] Yeah, he spoke at my grammer school, way back..can't remember the year. I got a picture autographed! I believe he was the team captain.... Incidently, I baught some Buffalo Braves highlight films off of some guy on EBAY a few years back. The videos are so-so quality (audio for some years, no audio for others, and some are a little dark), but the guy had a really cool Buffalo Braves fan site. I can't seem to find the address anymore, maybe it is gone now. In addition to the videos, I baught a Braves t-shirt (before you could find them everywhere) and a cologne bottle, with a Braves emblem carved into it...I remember my brother had one of those way back...ahh the memories...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 That is how I understand it. I used to collect the Dairylea milk coupons also but I didn't have anyone to take me downtown as I was a kid so they went unused. I didn't learn about the Knoxes hogging the best dates until I believe it got exposed in one of Rick Azar's final commentaries. I still remember that the Braves were wildly popular despite them not getting the best dates and they still sold the place out with crowds approximating 17,000. 362220[/snapback] We used to go to the games with the Daiylea (I still have our old Dairylea galvanized milk box) milk carton coupons... Sit in the oranges... I think that is were I first got vertigo! Buffalo would be a great basketball town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWVaBeach Posted June 22, 2005 Share Posted June 22, 2005 Way back before halftime shows were what they are now, I was a part of the old YMCA on Eggert at the Kensington Expressway trampoline team. We were the halftime shows at some of the Braves games. I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at the time. Times have changed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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