By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo
When the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Championship in Oakland’s Oracle Arena a few weeks ago, the scene looked every bit the part that modern sports fans would expect of the multi-billion-dollar NBA of 2016.
Buffalo News archives
When the Buffalo Braves traveled to the Bay Area to play the San Francisco Warriors in 1970, the home court at the Cow Palace—built as an agriculture and livestock pavilion—was lit, in part, by Liberace-looking chandeliers.
The photo shows Mike Silliman of the Braves trying to drive past the Warriors’ Joe Ellis as future Hall of Famers Nate Thurmond and Jerry Lucas look on. The Warriors beat the expansion Braves 123-108 under the light of that candelabra fixture.