It was October 14, 1970, and the Buffalo Braves were ready to face the Cleveland Cavaliers for their first game in their history. Memorial Auditorium was not full for the occasion; attendance was 7,129. That sounds rather remarkable in hindsight since opening nights now sell out the day tickets go on sale. It's even more remarkable considering the Aud only held about 10,000 fans at that point. The building was a year away from having its roof raised and the seating capacity expanded.
The Braves had a new name on the top of the organizational chart. Paul Snyder had purchased the team the day before opening night. The local businessman owned Freezer Queen foods until it merged with Nabisco and he was a wrestler at the University of Buffalo.
Coach Dolph Schayes sent out a starting lineup of Dick Garrett, Herm Gilliam, Don May, John Hummer and Nate Bowman. The combination worked for a 107-92 win over the Cavs. Bowman's career may have peaked in that game, as his jumper put Buffalo ahead for good, 12-10. May had 24 points in 35 minutes, setting a career-high in scoring. Garrett added 20, including the first basket in franchise history.
It was downhill from there for the team, though. The Braves lost their next nine games, due in part to injuries to Garrett and May. They even returned the favor to Cleveland, losing to the Cavaliers on Dec. 6, 1970, for Cleveland's first-ever victory after 12 straight losses. A crowd of 2,002 looked on.
That was pretty typical of a forgettable season. Buffalo only won 22 games in that season, and the total was a little inflated. The NBA had stacked the schedule so that the Braves played the other two expansion teams, the Cavs and the Portland Trail Blazers, 12 times each. While that was good for the won-loss record (11 of the wins came against those two teams), it wasn't good for the gate. The Braves' fans would rather see such established teams as the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics. The club never came close to a winning month, and was particularly bad on the road (6-34).
That initial team had a little talent and featured a couple of surprises. The biggest was someone who didn't start in that first game. Bob Kauffman, a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, eventually claimed the starting center spot. Kauffman averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game despite being slightly miscast as a center. He was Buffalo's only representative in the NBA All-Star Game.
Kauffman played a big role in the Braves' first-ever win over one of the NBA's "established teams." Buffalo knocked off Atlanta, 134-118, on Nov. 11, and Kauffman had 35 points in his first start as a Brave.
May was a little small for the small forward spot, but he could shoot. The 6-foot-4 former Dayton star had one of the great fluke statistical years in NBA history. May averaged 20.2 points per game. He never averaged as much as 10 points per game for the rest of his NHL career. The big year was all about opportunity and playing time.
