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1971–72  Buffalo Braves season
Head coach Dolph Schayes (0–1)
Johnny McCarthy (22–59)
Arena Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Maple Leaf Gardens
Results
Record22–60 (.268)
PlaceDivision: 4th ( Atlantic)
Conference: 8th ( Eastern)
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television WBEN-TV
Radio WBEN
< 1970–71 1972–73 >

A pair of rookies named Smith gave Buffalo fans reason for a bright future. The Braves repeated their 22–60 record from their inaugural season, and occupied the Atlantic Division basement. [1] Elmore Smith and Randy Smith each had out standing rookie seasons with Elmore averaging 17.3 points per game and 15.2 rebounds per game, while Randy added 13.4 points per game. [1]

Draft picks

Main article: 1971 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 3 Elmore Smith Center  United States Kentucky State
2 19 Fred Hilton Guard  United States Grambling
2 26 Amos Thomas Forward  United States Southwestern Oklahoma
2 30 Spencer Haywood Forward  United States Detroit Mercy
4 53 Jim O'Brien Guard  United States Boston College
5 70 Garry Nelson Forward  United States Duquesne
6 87 Glen Summors Forward  United States Gannon
7 104 Randy Smith Guard  United States Buffalo State
8 121 Craig Love Center  United States Ohio
9 138 Gary Stewart Forward  United States Canisius College
10 154 Don Ward Guard  United States Colgate University
11 170 Bill Warner Forward  United States Arizona
12 184 Butch Webster Forward  United States LSU
13 197 Pete Smith Forward  United States Valdosta
14 209 Ray Lavender Center  United States Drury College
15 218 William Chatmon Forward  United States Baylor
16 226 James Douglas Guard  United States Memphis
17 230 Nelson Isley Guard  United States LSU
18 233 Joey Meyer Guard  United States DePaul

Roster

Buffalo Braves 1971–72 roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. From
G 7 Bryant, Emmette 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) DePaul
F 40 Chambers, Jerry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Utah
G 13 Davis, Mike 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Virginia Union
G 20 Garrett, Dick 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Southern Illinois
G 42 Hazzard, Walt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) UCLA
G 32 Hilton, Fred 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Grambling State
F 25 Hosket, Bill 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Ohio State
F 45 Hummer, John 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Princeton
F 44 Kauffman, Bob 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Guilford
C 3 Smith, Elmore 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Kentucky State
F 9 Smith, Randy 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Buffalo State
F 35 Warner, Cornell 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jackson State
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Regular season

Season standings

Atlantic Division
 W L PCT GB Home Road Neutral Div
y- Boston Celtics 56 26 .683 – 32–9 21–16 3–1 15–3
x- New York Knicks 48 34 .585 8 27–14 20–19 1–1 11–7
Philadelphia 76ers 30 52 .366 26 14–23 14–26 2–3 6–12
Buffalo Braves 22 60 .268 34 13–27 8–31 1–2 4–14
#
Eastern Conference
Team W L PCT
1 z- Boston Celtics 56 26 .683
2 y- Baltimore Bullets 38 44 .463
3 x- New York Knicks 48 34 .585
4 x- Atlanta Hawks 36 46 .439
5 Philadelphia 76ers 30 52 .366
5 Cincinnati Royals 30 52 .366
7 Cleveland Cavaliers 23 59 .280
8 Buffalo Braves 22 60 .268
z – clinched division title
y – clinched division title
x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

1971–72 NBA records
Team ATL BAL BOS BUF CHI CIN CLE DET GSW HOU LAL MIL NYK PHI PHO POR SEA
Atlanta – 2–4 0–4 4–2 0–5 3–3 4–2 3–2 3–2 1–4 0–5 2–3 3–1 3–3 3–2 4–0 1–4
Baltimore 4–2 – 2–2 3–3 1–4 4–2 1–5 3–2 1–4 3–2 1–4 0–5 2–4 4–0 4–1 3–1 2–3
Boston 4–0 2–2 – 6–0 3–2 4–2 5–1 5–0 2–3 5–0 1–4 2–3 3–3 6–0 2–3 4–0 2–3
Buffalo 2–4 3–3 0–6 – 1–3 3–3 4–2 2–4 1–3 0–4 0–4 0–4 1–5 3–3 0–4 2–4 0–4
Chicago 5–0 4–1 2–3 3–1 – 3–1 4–0 5–1 3–3 5–1 1–3 2–4 3–2 4–1 5–1 6–0 2–3
Cincinnati 3–3 2–4 2–4 3–3 1–3 – 6–2 2–3 2–3 0–4 1–4 0–5 2–2 2–2 2–3 2–2 0–5
Cleveland 2–4 5–1 1–5 2–4 0–4 2–6 – 1–3 0–4 2–2 1–3 0–4 1–5 2–4 0–4 4–2 0–4
Detroit 2–3 2–3 0–5 4–2 1–5 3–2 3–1 – 0–5 3–3 1–4 1–5 1–4 1–4 2–4 2–2 0–4
Golden State 2–3 4–1 3–2 3–1 3–3 3–2 4–0 5–0 – 5–1 1–5 2–2 2–3 4–1 2–3 4–2 4–2
Houston 4–1 2–3 0–5 4–0 1–5 4–0 2–2 3–3 1–5 – 1–5 0–5 0–5 4–1 1–3 4–2 3–3
Los Angeles 5–0 4–1 4–1 4–0 3–1 4–1 3–1 4–1 5–1 5–1 – 4–1 4–1 5–0 4–2 6–0 5–1
Milwaukee 3–2 5–0 3–2 4–0 4–2 5–0 4–0 5–1 2–2 5–0 1–4 – 2–3 4–1 4–2 6–0 6–0
New York 1–3 4–2 3–3 5–1 2–3 2–2 5–1 4–1 3–2 5–0 1–4 3–2 – 3–3 1–4 3–1 3–2
Philadelphia 3–3 0–4 0–6 3–3 1–4 2–2 4–2 4–1 1–4 1–4 0–5 1–4 3–3 – 1–4 2–2 4–1
Phoenix 2–3 1–4 3–2 4–0 1–5 3–2 4–0 4–2 3–2 3–1 2–4 2–4 4–1 4–1 – 6–0 3–2
Portland 0–4 1–3 0–4 4–2 0–6 2–2 2–4 2–2 2–4 2–4 0–6 0–6 1–3 2–2 0–6 – 0–6
Seattle 4–1 3–2 3–2 4–0 3–2 5–0 4–0 4–0 2–4 3–3 1–5 0–6 2–3 1–4 2–3 6–0 —

Game log

1971–72 Game log
# Date Opponent Score High points Record
1 October 12 Seattle 123–90 Chambers, Hazzard (14) 0–1
2 October 15 @ Cleveland 111–109 (OT) Walt Hazzard (35) 1–1
3 October 16 Cleveland 93–89 Bob Kauffman (24) 1–2
4 October 19 Los Angeles 123–106 Elmore Smith (20) 1–3
5 October 22 @ Milwaukee 105–124 Dick Garrett (19) 1–4
6 October 23 Boston 103–98 Bob Kauffman (25) 1–5
7 October 26 @ Golden State 91–89 Bob Kauffman (24) 2–5
8 October 28 @ Seattle 96–106 Bob Kauffman (27) 2–6
9 October 29 @ Portland 120–119 Fred Hilton (27) 3–6
10 October 31 @ Houston 87–102 Bob Kauffman (15) 3–7
11 November 3 Phoenix 100–98 Bob Kauffman (24) 3–8
12 November 5 @ Atlanta 122–117 (OT) Randy Smith (35) 4–8
13 November 6 Chicago 99–130 Bob Kauffman (28) 5–8
14 November 9 Portland 100–109 Bob Kauffman (30) 6–8
15 November 13 Milwaukee 127–106 Bob Kauffman (44) 6–9
16 November 16 Cincinnati 98–102 Walt Hazzard (27) 7–9
17 November 19 @ Baltimore 105–126 Jerry Chambers (19) 7–10
18 November 20 Detroit 105–96 Walt Hazzard (23) 7–11
19 November 23 Atlanta 97–102 Walt Hazzard (30) 8–11
20 November 24 @ Boston 100–108 Fred Hilton (23) 8–12
21 November 27 Golden State 110–91 Bob Kauffman (17) 8–13
22 November 30 Houston 115–101 Walt Hazzard (26) 8–14
23 December 2 N Baltimore 109–105 Mike Davis (25) 9–14
24 December 3 Cleveland 90–91 Bob Kauffman (23) 10–14
25 December 4 @ New York 90–130 Chambers, R. Smith (13) 10–15
26 December 7 Cincinnati 91–115 Fred Hilton (26) 11–15
27 December 10 Portland 101–100 (OT) Randy Smith (21) 11–16
28 December 14 Philadelphia 110–117 Walt Hazzard (26) 12–16
29 December 15 N Milwaukee 122–108 Bob Kauffman (29) 12–17
30 December 17 New York 115–95 Randy Smith (19) 12–18
31 December 18 @ Boston 91–124 Walt Hazzard (15) 12–19
32 December 21 Los Angeles 117–103 Randy Smith (26) 12–20
33 December 25 @ Atlanta 117–140 Randy Smith (24) 12–21
34 December 27 Philadelphia 121–112 Randy Smith (24) 12–22
35 December 28 @ Los Angeles 87–105 Elmore Smith (32) 12–23
36 December 30 @ Phoenix 102–123 Walt Hazzard (25) 12–24
37 January 1 @ Seattle 83–97 Elmore Smith (21) 12–25
38 January 2 @ Portland 90–108 Fred Hilton (26) 12–26
39 January 4 @ Golden State 86–112 Elmore Smith (22) 12–27
40 January 7 Phoenix 123–110 Walt Hazzard (23) 12–28
41 January 8 @ Cincinnati 97–87 Bob Kauffman (28) 13–28
42 January 9 @ Detroit 96–101 Elmore Smith (22) 13–29
43 January 11 Cincinnati 109–107 (OT) Bob Kauffman (25) 13–30
44 January 12 @ Philadelphia 111–109 Elmore Smith (26) 14–30
45 January 14 Portland 102–100 Bob Kauffman (28) 14–31
46 January 21 Chicago 113–93 Walt Hazzard (15) 14–32
47 January 25 Atlanta 123–110 Fred Hilton (21) 14–33
48 January 26 @ Baltimore 114–115 (OT) Walt Hazzard (30) 14–34
49 January 28 Seattle 104–93 Elmore Smith (23) 14–35
50 January 30 @ Cleveland 99–98 Walt Hazzard (26) 15–35
51 February 1 Cleveland 104–99 Walt Hazzard (26) 15–36
52 February 2 @ Philadelphia 104–119 Bob Kauffman (24) 15–37
53 February 4 New York 103–84 Walt Hazzard (17) 15–38
54 February 5 @ Chicago 96–130 Elmore Smith (24) 15–39
55 February 6 @ Cleveland 121–108 Walt Hazzard (38) 16–39
56 February 8 Milwaukee 126–108 Fred Hilton (30) 16–40
57 February 9 @ Boston 112–139 Bob Kauffman (23) 16–41
58 February 11 Detroit 88–95 Bob Kauffman (21) 17–41
59 February 12 @ Detroit 87–113 Elmore Smith (17) 17–42
60 February 13 @ Atlanta 119–133 Mike Davis (28) 17–43
61 February 15 Golden State 103–100 Mike Davis (23) 17–44
62 February 18 Houston 108–96 Bob Kauffman (19) 17–45
63 February 19 @ New York 95–100 Elmore Smith (27) 17–46
64 February 22 Baltimore 98–99 Bob Kauffman (26) 18–46
65 February 24 N Cincinnati 108–97 Elmore Smith (23) 18–47
66 February 25 Boston 117–115 Elmore Smith (40) 18–48
67 February 29 Atlanta 99–89 Elmore Smith (23) 18–49
68 March 1 @ Philadelphia 99–108 Kauffman, E. Smith (19) 18–50
69 March 3 New York 97–105 Fred Hilton (31) 19–50
70 March 5 @ Phoenix 103–131 Randy Smith (24) 19–51
71 March 7 @ Portland 94–98 Elmore Smith (24) 19–52
72 March 11 @ Houston 100–121 Dick Garrett (17) 19–53
73 March 12 @ Los Angeles 102–141 Walt Hazzard (25) 19–54
74 March 14 Philadelphia 105–108 Elmore Smith (33) 20–54
75 March 17 @ Chicago 103–126 Randy Smith (19) 20–55
76 March 18 Detroit 103–116 Elmore Smith (32) 21–55
77 March 19 @ Cincinnati 105–136 Randy Smith (22) 21–56
78 March 21 Baltimore 100–114 Elmore Smith (29) 22–56
79 March 22 @ New York 99–123 Randy Smith (19) 22–57
80 March 24 @ Detroit 105–112 Randy Smith (33) 22–58
81 March 25 Boston 121–116 Elmore Smith (27) 22–59
82 March 26 @ Baltimore 101–119 Hilton, Warner (18) 22–60

Player statistics

Note: GP= Games played; MPG = Minutes per game; FG% = Field goal percentage; FT% = Free throw percentage; RPG = Rebounds per game; APG = Assists per game; PPG = Points per game

Player GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
Bob Kauffman 77 41.6 .497 .795 10.2 3.9 18.9
Elmore Smith 78 40.8 .454 .534 15.2 1.4 17.3
Walt Hazzard 72 33.2 .451 .782 3.0 5.6 15.8
Randy Smith 76 27.6 .482 .622 4.8 2.5 13.4
Dick Garrett 73 26.1 .442 .866 3.1 2.3 10.8
Em Bryant 54 22.6 .459 .600 2.4 3.8 5.1
Fred Hilton 61 22.1 .389 .738 2.6 1.9 11.6
John Hummer 55 21.6 .390 .468 4.2 1.3 5.2
Cornell Warner 62 20.0 .443 .744 6.1 0.9 6.2
Mike Davis 62 17.2 .425 .767 1.9 1.3 9.1
Jerry Chambers 26 14.2 .433 .688 2.6 0.9 6.8
Bill Hosket 44 13.5 .492 .808 2.8 0.9 5.0

[2]

Awards and honors

Transactions

The Braves were involved in the following transactions during the 1971–72 season.

Coaching Change

In-season
Outgoing coach Date Removed 1971–72 Record Incoming coach
Dolph Schayes Fired, October 13, 1971 0–1 Johnny McCarthy

Trades

July 26, 1971 To Buffalo Braves
 To Atlanta Hawks

Free agents

References

  1. ^ a b Buffalo Braves (1970–1978)
  2. ^ "1971-72 Buffalo Braves Roster and Stats".
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