<P> The franchise began in Western New York as the Buffalo Braves, one of three NBA expansion franchises that began play in the 1970--71 season, along with the Portland Trail Blazers and Cleveland Cavaliers . They played their home games at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, along with another Buffalo team that would begin play that year, the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres . </P> <P> After two bad seasons, the Braves' fortunes started to change under coach Jack Ramsay and star forward / center Bob McAdoo . McAdoo led the NBA in scoring three consecutive seasons and was named the league's MVP in the 1974--75 season . The Braves qualified for the playoffs three times in a row, losing twice to the eventual Eastern Conference champions (the Boston Celtics in 1974 and 1976, and the Washington Bullets in 1975). Despite the team's modest success in Buffalo, Braves owner Paul Snyder and the league found it impossible to schedule home games at the auditorium because the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, which had a pre-existing lease on the arena and priority on game dates over the Braves, saw the Braves as a threat to their own success and purposely scheduled all the best dates at the arena to prevent the Braves from succeeding . As a result, after a failed attempt to sell the team to an owner who intended to move it to South Florida, Snyder sold the team to Kentucky Colonels owner John Y. Brown, Jr., who decimated the team's roster, traded away all of its stars, and drove attendance down to the point where they could break their own lease on the arena . Eventually in 1978, Brown dealt with Celtics owner Irv Levin so they would trade franchise ownerships . Southern California resident Levin then decided to move the Braves to San Diego, something the league would have never allowed him to do with the Celtics . </P> <P> In 1978, San Diego welcomed the relocation of the Buffalo Braves franchise because the city had lost their Rockets to Houston seven years earlier . San Diego team officials did not think Braves was a representative nickname for the club and a contest decided on "Clippers", because the city was known for the great sailing ships that passed through San Diego Bay . When the Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984, they kept their nickname . </P> <P> Playing at the San Diego Sports Arena, the Clippers posted a record of 43--39 in their first season in California under new head coach Gene Shue, leaving them two wins shy of the final playoff spot . It would be the Clippers' last winning season for 13 years . It was also in that first season in southern California that long - time announcer Ralph Lawler began his association with the club . World B. Free, who was acquired in the offseason from the Philadelphia 76ers, finished second overall in NBA scoring average, with 28.9 per game, while George Gervin of the San Antonio Spurs had a 29.6 average . </P>

Where did the la clippers get their name