The Buffalo Braves Trivia Quiz

Answer: Blue, orange, white

The original (1970/71) Braves uniforms featured an orange basketball surrounded by an orange headdress, with a blue bison on the basketball and the words "Buffalo Braves" in blue under the basketball. For the next two seasons, there was a diagonal black stripe on the uniforms (on a white background with an orange stripe for home, on an orange background with white stripe for road) and the team's "feathered B" logo in black and orange. Starting in the 73/74 season, they wore white and blue uniforms with no logo.

The "feathered B" logo has been pictured as black and orange, black and blue, orange and blue, and dark blue and light blue.

Answer: Cleveland Cavaliers

They beat expansion Cleveland in the first game both teams ever played. Portland was the other expansion team in the league that season.

Answer: Lenny Wilkens

Schayes coached for the team's season and was replaced after one game of the 71/72 season by McCarthy. Cotton Fitzsimmons was their last coach in Buffalo.

Answer: Bob McAdoo

McAdoo's best NBA years during his long career were in Buffalo, his first pro team. Randy Smith was an NBA All-Star game MVP in 1978, but not a hall-of-famer. Ernie D. was 73/74 Rookie of the Year, but is not in the Hall of Fame. Moses Malone played for the Braves one season, but was inducted as a 76er.

Answer: Boston Celtics

In just their fourth season, the young Braves surprised themselves and the NBA by giving eventual champion Boston a hard run for their money before losing in six games in the opening round. The Braves blew a 17-point lead in the second half of the first game to lose 107-97, but they played the Celtics tough each night before being eliminated in a 106-104 nail-biter.

Answer: Philadelphia 76ers

The Braves eliminated Philadelphia in the opening round in 1976 in three games, before going on to lose to the arch-rival Celtics.

Answer: 1974, 1975, 1976

Very select company. Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan have led the NBA in scoring more than three consecutive years, and only George Mikan, Neil Johnston, and George Gervin, have led for exactly three consecutive seasons.

Answer: Bob Kauffman

Randy Smith was a two-time All-Star for the Braves, and MVP of the 1978 game. Neither Ernie D nor Adrian Dantley was ever selected to an All-Star team as a Brave. In the Braves' early years, the NBA was small enough that each team got to have one representative on the All-Stars, and Bob Kauffman was the "token Brave" during their first three seasons.

Answer: 61

The Braves won 259 regular season games in Buffalo. Ramsey's 158 wins (vs. 170 losses) account for 61.0% of this total. Their second-most "successful" coach, Cotton Fitzsimmons, was 27-55 with the team. Ramsey amassed a 9-13 record in the playoffs, the only Braves coach to get them that far.

Answer: None listed

McAdoo was sent to the Knicks for money in an effort to get the team's finances in better shape.

Answer: free throw percentage and assists

Ernie led the NBA in free throw shooting in 1974 (.902) and 1977 (.945), the only times between 1973 and 1980 that Rick Barry didn't. Ernie was the assists leader in 1974 with 8.2 per game.

Answer: John Hummer and Jim McMillian

John Hummer of Princeton was the team's first draft pick in 1970. Jim McMillian of Columbia was drafted by the Lakers in 1970 and later traded to the Braves for Elmore Smith. Tom McMillen did play for the Braves in the 76/77 season and was a Rhodes scholar (and later in Congress), but he played college basketball at Maryland.

Answer: Rudy Martzke

Rudy Martzke, longtime sports television columnist for USA Today, was once public relations director for the Braves. He also worked in PR for the NBA St. Louis Hawks and Miami Floridians, and was GM of the Spirits of St. Louis in the ABA.

Answer: Moses Malone

Moses Malone played for the Braves, but was originally drafted by the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974. Smith was the Braves' top pick in 1971, McMillen in 1974, and Dantley in 1976.

Answer: Kentucky

John Y. Brown bought the team from Paul Snyder in 1976. In 1978, he and the owners of the Celtics exchanged teams, and the new owners moved the team to San Diego, where they played as the San Diego Clippers. Brown, who had been the one-time head of Kentucky Fried Chicken, was elected governor of Kentucky in 1979 and served until 1983.