BRING BACK THE
BUFFALO BRAVES
The Buffalo Braves were a NBA expansion team based in the Buffalo, NY area from 1970-1978. Over the course of their history, the Buffalo Braves had the 1975 NBA MVP Bob McAdoo, the 1974 Rookie of the Year Ernie DiGregorio, the 1977 Rookie of the Year Adrian Dantley, two-time All-Star Randy Smith, three-time All-Star Bob Kauffman, future star Moses Malone, and Nate Archibald (who was injured in his sole season for the Braves). The Braves, as a basketball team, made the NBA playoffs every year from 1974 - 1976, although they never made it past the second round. That would be their peak. In 1978, the Braves moved out of Buffalo to San Diego. A few years later, they once again relocated to Los Angeles, California. There, they became the LA Clippers, Los Angeles's chronically overshadowed "other" basketball franchise.
1) Location: Buffalo is the second-largest city in New York State, with many tourist attractions and a rich, vibrant culture. Located near Niagara Falls, it is the home of the Anchor Bar (Buffalo Wings, anybody?), the Albright Knox Art Gallery, and the Buffalo Zoo. Many students, American and foreign, come each year to Buffalo to further their education, most notably at SUNY Buffalo. Not to mention, Buffalo has already proven that it can successfully host major league sports teams, as it is home to the Sabres and Bills. Buffalo is a perfect city to host an NBA team, with its plethora of cultural landmarks and ideal demographics.
2a) Buffalo's Fans: Buffalo has very loyal sports fans. Just ask the fans of the Bills, who stuck with our favorite football team through its historically long playoff drought, which I may mention, was finally broken in 2017. Buffalonians take our Western New York roots very seriously. When a sports team makes Buffalo its home, it gets a loyal, dedicated fanbase who will be with the team through all its troubles and successes. After all, who couldn't use some BuffaLOVE?
2b) Los Angeles's Fans: LA, on the other hand, does have dedicated sports fans, but to a different franchise. The majority of basketball aficionados who live in LA are fans of the LAKERS, not the Clippers. This means that the Clippers are often ignored and neglected by what should be their loyal fan base. The Clippers have been overshadowed by the Lakers, their 16 championships, and Kobe Bryant's pump fakes. Los Angeles just isn't the Clippers's own city. The obvious solution for the Clippers is to return to their original city, a city that will be theirs, and theirs only. In other words, bring the Braves / Clippers back to Buffalo, where they originally started.
3) The Failure of the Clippers to succeed in Los Angeles: The Clippers, for the 30+ years they have been in LA, have never won a championship, or even a conference title. They have only made the playoffs 10 times since moving to LA. Whilst they were in LA, none of their players has ever been named league MVP. The Clippers are considered by many, including Sports Illustrated Magazine, to be one of the worst franchises in professional sports. In contrast, in Buffalo, the Braves made the playoffs three out of eight possible seasons, had an MVP in Bob McAdoo, and multiple All-Stars. And all this was accomplished in only eight seasons. The solution is simple. Bring the Braves / Clippers back to Buffalo, where they were once successful, and they will be successful once again.
If you skimmed over all of that, just remember one thing. BRING BACK THE BUFFALO BRAVES!
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