BASKETBALL COMES TO BUFFALO LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA IS A WORLD-FAMOUS CITY OF SKYSCRAPERS AND INDUSTRY BASKETBALL COMES TO BUFFALO 8
Since its founding in 1781 as El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles the city of Los Angeles California has become noted for many things Its economy is larger than many countries its miles of gleaming sandy beaches attract countless surfers and sunbathers its clothing styles are copied worldwide and it is one of the leading centers of technological innovation in the United States Perhaps its strongest association though is with the movies Soon after the American film industry was born in the New York New Jersey area at the end of the 19th century the scene shifted to Los Angeles because of the almost year-round sunshine and wide variety of terrain For nearly a century aspiring actors and actresses have headed for Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune As the region’s population continued to rise it wasn’t BOB MCADOO 9
THE CLIPPERS BUILT AN ENTHUSIASTIC FAN BASE AFTER ARRIVING IN LOS ANGELES surprising that professional sports franchises began making a similar move The Cleveland Rams football team was the first to become identified with the city when it arrived in 1946 only to return east to St Louis in 1994 The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 baseball season Three years later the Minneapolis Lakers of the National Basketball Association NBA began playing in the City of Angels And in 1984 the Lakers began sharing hoops headlines with another NBA franchise the Clippers which had originated in Buffalo New York as the Braves and had crossed the country to San Diego before heading 100 miles up the highway to its new home In 1970 the NBA made a risky move by granting an expansion franchise to Buffalo No one knew if the mid-sized city could support a team Adding to the uncertainty the Braves history started with a bad omen In its first NBA Draft the team passed on local star Calvin Murphy a 5-foot-9 guard from Niagara University who had averaged 33 points per game as a collegian Instead Buffalo took forward John Hummer of Princeton University Murphy went on to average nearly 18 points per game in a Hall of Fame career while Hummer averaged fewer than 7 points per game in 6 10
Rookie Sensations Over the years Braves and Clippers fans have had precious little to hang their hats on In its first 43 seasons the franchise played in a grand total of 9 playoff series winning only 3 However one area in which the team has enjoyed a disproportionate measure of success is in its history of Rookie of the Year award winners The law of averages suggests that the Clippers should have produced one or perhaps two award-winning rookies Instead the franchise boasts five The great Bob McAdoo was the first of these hoisting the trophy in 1973 The very next season point guard Ernie DiGregorio dished out a heap of assists on his way to the honor Scoring-machine forward Adrian Dantley claimed the prize in 1977 and fellow forward Terry Cummings enjoyed the greatest statistical season of his career to win the award in 1983 Forward Blake Griffin’s All Star season made him an obvious pick in 2011 Unfortunately knee problems plagued DiGregorio while Dantley and Cummings were soon shipped away via trades Griffin however appeared to be ready for a long and fruitful career as a Clipper COURTSIDE STORIES Rookie Sensations ERNIE DIGREGORIO 11
