Austin George Carr (born
March 10, 1948) is an American former
professional basketball player who played for
the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Bullets of
the National Basketball
Association (NBA). He is known by Cleveland basketball fans as
"Mr. Cavalier". He was part of the Notre Dame team which defeated the
UCLA Bruins on January 19, 1971, which was UCLA's last defeat until being
beaten by Notre Dame exactly three years later, breaking the Bruins' NCAA men's
basketball record 88-game winning streak. Carr's first season in the NBA was
marred by a series of injuries that limited his output. During the 1971
preseason, he broke his foot and missed the first month of the season. Less
than one month after returning to the court, he was sidelined again by another
foot injury, missing another seven weeks. Upon his return, he began to display
the skills which made him the top selection in the NBA draft and was named to
the 1972 NBA All-Rookie Team. Following the conclusion of his
first season, Carr had surgery to clear up any lingering foot problems. The
arrival of Lenny Wilkens prior
to the start of the 1972–73 campaign gave Carr a solid partner in the
backcourt, helping the Cavaliers improve by nine games in the win column.
Carr's best season came the following year, when he averaged a career-best 21.9
points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 85.6% from the
free-throw line.
Two
months into the 1974–75 season, he suffered a knee injury that put him out of
the lineup indefinitely. His absence in the lineup likely prevented the
Cavaliers' from capturing their first-ever playoff berth, with the team's bid
falling one game short. However, during the next three seasons, Carr played a
role in three straight playoff appearances for the team. Cleveland met
the Boston Celtics in the
1976 Eastern Conference finals
and lost in six games. They were eliminated in the first round of the 1977
playoffs by the Washington Bullets in
a close three-game series. They were defeated in similar fashion in 1978,
losing to the New York Knicks in
two games.