1972–73 basketball season for Buffalo Braves
NBA professional basketball team season
The 1972–73 Buffalo Braves season was the 3rd season of the Buffalo Braves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Despite finishing with a worse record than their previous 2 seasons, their 21–61 record was good enough for 3rd place. The Braves showed improvement under new Coach Jack Ramsay. Rookie center Bob McAdoo provided the silver lining by winning the Rookie of the Year Award with 18.0 points per game and 9.1 rebounds per game.[ 1]
During the fifth game of the season versus the Boston Celtics on October 20, 1972, the team set an NBA record which still stands for most points in a single quarter with 58, and still managed to lose 126-118.
Draft picks
Roster
Buffalo Braves 1972-73 roster
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Ht.
Wt.
From
G
7
Fox, Harold
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Jacksonville
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
F
27
Hewitt, Bill
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
USC
G
32
Hilton, Fred
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Grambling 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
G
5
Komives, Howard
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Bowling Green
F
11
McAdoo, Bob
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
North Carolina
C
3
Smith, Elmore
7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Kentucky State
G
9
Smith, Randy
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Buffalo State
C
35
Warner, Cornell
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Jackson State
G
13
Wohl, Dave
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Penn
Head coach
Legend
(DP) Unsigned draft pick(FA) Free agent(S) Suspended Injured
Roster Notes
Center Cornell Warner and guard Walt Hazzard played in only 4 games and 9 games respectively before being waived in November.
Guard Harold Fox played in only 10 games before being waived in December.
Guard Dave Wohl came back to the franchise, now known as the Los Angeles Clippers , as an assistant coach from 1993–94 and as its general manager from 2014–2017.
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
1972-73 NBA Records
Team
ATL
BAL
BOS
BUF
CHI
CLE
DET
GSW
HOU
KCO
LAL
MIL
NYK
PHI
PHO
POR
SEA
Atlanta
—
3–4
1–5
5–1
2–2
3–4
2–2
1–3
4–4
2–2
3–1
1–3
3–3
6–0
3–1
4–0
3–1
Baltimore
4–3
—
1–5
5–1
0–4
8–0
2–2
3–1
5–2
3–1
1–3
2–2
3–3
5–1
2–2
4–0
4–0
Boston
5–1
5–1
—
7–0
3–1
5–1
3–1
3–1
5–1
3–1
4–0
2–2
4–4
7–0
4–0
4–0
4–0
Buffalo
1–5
1–5
0–7
—
2–2
1–5
1–3
0–4
1–5
1–3
0–4
0–4
1–6
7–1
1–3
2–2
2–2
Chicago
2–2
4–0
1–3
2–2
—
3–1
3–4
3–3
4–0
5–2
1–5
2–4
3–1
4–0
4–2
5–1
5–1
Cleveland
4–3
0–8
1–5
5–1
1–3
—
1–3
1–3
4–3
2–2
1–3
1–3
0–6
6–0
1–3
1–3
3–1
Detroit
2–2
2–2
1–3
3–1
4–3
3–1
—
2–4
1–3
3–3
1–5
2–5
1–3
3–1
4–2
6–0
2–4
Golden State
3–1
1–3
1–3
4–0
3–3
3–1
4–2
—
3–1
4–2
3–4
1–5
2–2
4–0
2–4
5–1
4–3
Houston
4–4
2–5
1–5
5–1
0–4
3–4
3–1
1–3
—
0–4
1–3
1–3
1–5
5–1
2–2
2–2
2–2
Kansas City-Omaha
2–2
1–3
1–3
3–1
2–5
2–2
3–3
2–4
4–0
—
1–5
1–6
0–4
3–1
3–3
4–2
4–2
Los Angeles
1–3
3–1
0–4
4–0
5–1
3–1
5–1
4–3
3–1
5–1
—
3–3
2–2
4–0
6–1
6–0
6–0
Milwaukee
3–1
2–2
2–2
4–0
4–2
3–1
5–2
5–1
3–1
6–1
3–3
—
2–2
3–1
5–1
5–1
5–1
New York
3–3
3–3
4–4
6–1
1–3
6–0
3–1
2–2
5–1
4–0
2–2
2–2
—
6–1
3–1
3–1
4–0
Philadelphia
0–6
1–5
0–7
1–7
0–4
0–6
1–3
0–4
1–5
1–3
0–4
1–3
1–6
—
0–4
1–3
1–3
Phoenix
1–3
2–2
0–4
3–1
2–4
3–1
2–4
4–2
2–2
3–3
1–6
1–5
1–3
4–0
—
5–2
4–2
Portland
0–4
0–4
0–4
2–2
1–5
3–1
0–6
1–5
2–2
2–4
0–6
1–5
1–3
3–1
2–5
—
3–4
Seattle
1–3
0–4
0–4
2–2
1–5
1–3
4–2
3–4
2–2
2–4
0–6
1–5
0–4
3–1
2–4
4–3
—
Game log
1972–73 Game log
#
Date
Opponent
Score
High points
Record
1
October 10
Atlanta
120–109
Dick Garrett (25)
0–1
2
October 13
@ Philadelphia
104–101
Fred Hilton (22)
1–1
3
October 14
Houston
121–113
Fred Hilton (36)
1–2
4
October 17
Philadelphia
114–122
Bob Kauffman (24)
2–2
5
October 20
@ Boston
118–126
Randy Smith (29)
2–3
6
October 21
Milwaukee
91–63
John Hummer (12)
2–4
7
October 24
Boston
105–97
Bob Kauffman (24)
2–5
8
October 25
@ Milwaukee
92–109
Elmore Smith (28)
2–6
9
October 28
Kansas City–Omaha
113–102
Bob Kauffman (17)
2–7
10
November 3
@ Cleveland
97–124
Bob Kauffman (19)
2–8
11
November 4
Chicago
99–101
Bob Kauffman (28)
3–8
12
November 7
Golden State
105–91
Bob McAdoo (21)
3–9
13
November 8
Baltimore
94–126
Bob McAdoo (18)
3–10
14
November 10
Boston
106–104
Bob Kauffman (25)
3–11
15
November 14
@ Kansas City–Omaha
100–106
Bob Kauffman (34)
3–12
16
November 17
@ Los Angeles
100–103
Bob Kauffman (28)
3–13
17
November 18
@ Golden State
92–120
Bob Kauffman (26)
3–14
18
November 19
@ Seattle
84–107
Randy Smith (19)
3–15
19
November 21
Baltimore
124–88
Dick Garrett (16)
3–16
20
November 24
N Philadelphia
96–105
Dick Garrett (26)
4–16
21
November 25
Cleveland
103–90
Dick Garrett (19)
4–17
22
November 28
Philadelphia
101–94
Elmore Smith (32)
4–18
23
November 30
@ Detroit
116–127
Elmore Smith (29)
4–19
24
December 1
Seattle
90–93
Randy Smith (27)
5–19
25
December 2
@ New York
94–119
Elmore Smith (28)
5–20
26
December 5
Phoenix
97–108
Bob Kauffman (27)
6–20
27
December 8
New York
89–91
Dick Garrett (21)
7–20
28
December 9
@ Chicago
94–105
Elmore Smith (29)
7–21
29
December 12
Houston
94–95
Elmore Smith (25)
8–21
30
December 15
Golden State
129–95
Bob Kauffman (20)
8–22
31
December 16
@ Philadelphia
126–103
Bob Kauffman (32)
9–22
32
December 19
Los Angeles
126–100
Elmore Smith (35)
9–23
33
December 22
Atlanta
110–109
Elmore Smith (21)
9–24
34
December 26
Baltimore
121–104
Elmore Smith (25)
9–25
35
December 28
@ New York
86–107
Bob McAdoo (23)
9–26
36
December 29
@ Baltimore
118–109
Randy Smith (33)
10–26
37
December 30
@ Atlanta
110–120
Elmore Smith (24)
10–27
38
January 2
Philadelphia
110–114
Bob McAdoo (30)
11–27
39
January 5
New York
129–106
Bob McAdoo (26)
11–28
40
January 6
@ Milwaukee
96–110
Randy Smith (21)
11–29
41
January 7
@ Chicago
96–119
Bob McAdoo (26)
11–30
42
January 9
Cleveland
102–106
McAdoo, E. Smith (22)
12–30
43
January 12
Portland
100–120
Bob McAdoo (31)
13–30
44
January 16
Boston
106–102
Randy Smith (27)
13–31
45
January 18
@ Atlanta
127–125
Bob McAdoo (32)
14–31
46
January 19
Detroit
98–108
Elmore Smith (28)
15–31
47
January 21
@ Boston
97–104
Elmore Smith (32)
15–32
48
January 25
@ New York
92–99
Elmore Smith (21)
15–33
49
January 26
Atlanta
118–82
Elmore Smith (22)
15–34
50
January 27
@ Baltimore
87–115
Bob McAdoo (25)
15–35
51
January 28
@ Philadelphia
101–96
Elmore Smith (25)
16–35
52
January 30
Philadelphia
104–105
Elmore Smith (36)
17–35
53
February 2
Milwaukee
114–108
Randy Smith (27)
17–36
54
February 3
@ Atlanta
101–105
Dick Garrett (22)
17–37
55
February 4
N Houston
130–118
Bob McAdoo (31)
17–38
56
February 6
Detroit
107–105
Bob McAdoo (31)
17–39
57
February 9
Baltimore
101–95
Bob McAdoo (33)
17–40
58
February 11
@ Seattle
128–125
Bob McAdoo (39)
18–40
59
February 13
@ Portland
100–120
Elmore Smith (25)
18–41
60
February 14
@ Phoenix
107–124
Bob McAdoo (32)
18–42
61
February 16
New York
102–98
McAdoo, E. Smith (22)
18–43
62
February 18
@ Cleveland
98–122
Bob Kauffman (20)
18–44
63
February 20
Kansas City–Omaha
106–113
Elmore Smith (27)
19–44
64
February 23
Phoenix
125–106
Bob McAdoo (34)
19–45
65
February 24
@ New York
97–125
Bob Kauffman (20)
19–46
66
February 27
Houston
112–105
Elmore Smith (22)
19–47
67
March 2
Seattle
139–120
Bob McAdoo (41)
19–48
68
March 4
@ Boston
113–125
Randy Smith (32)
19–49
69
March 6
Boston
127–112
Bob Kauffman (28)
19–50
70
March 8
Chicago
102–112
Bob McAdoo (28)
20–50
71
March 10
Portland
101–106
Elmore Smith (29)
21–50
72
March 13
Los Angeles
121–112
Bob Kauffman (28)
21–51
73
March 16
@ Detroit
100–121
Bob McAdoo (28)
21–52
74
March 17
Cleveland
114–97
Elmore Smith (21)
21–53
75
March 18
@ Cleveland
101–102
Bob Kauffman (21)
21–54
76
March 20
@ Kansas City–Omaha
115–119
Elmore Smith (33)
21–55
77
March 21
@ Phoenix
124–134 (OT)
Randy Smith (21)
21–56
78
March 23
@ Los Angeles
101–121
John Hummer (20)
21–57
79
March 24
@ Golden State
101–106
Bob McAdoo (29)
21–58
80
March 25
@ Portland
107–113 (OT)
Bob McAdoo (39)
21–59
81
March 27
N Houston
121–111
Bob McAdoo (39)
21–60
82
March 28
N Houston
138–122
Bob McAdoo (45)
21–61
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
39.6
.505
.780
11.1
5.1
17.5
Elmore Smith
76
37.2
.482
.558
12.4
3.9
18.3
Bob McAdoo
80
32.0
.452
.774
9.1
3.2
18.0
Randy Smith
82
31.7
.443
.727
4.8
5.1
14.8
Dave Wohl
56
27.5
.456
.790
1.6
4.6
8.8
John Hummer
66
23.4
.444
.561
4.9
2.1
8.0
Dick Garrett
78
23.1
.419
.873
2.7
2.8
10.0
Howard Komives
67
21.9
.380
.867
1.8
3.6
6.1
Bill Hewitt
73
18.2
.418
.554
5.0
1.5
4.7
Walt Hazzard
9
14.9
.417
.500
1.1
1.9
5.9
Fred Hilton
59
12.4
.387
.774
1.7
1.3
7.2
Cornell Warner
4
11.8
.471
.500
3.8
1.5
4.3
Harold Fox
10
8.4
.375
.875
0.8
1.0
3.1
[ 2]
Awards and honors
Bob Kauffman, NBA All-Star
Bob McAdoo, NBA Rookie of the Year
Transactions
The Braves were involved in the following transactions during the 1972–73 season.
Coaching Change
Trades
Free agents
References