Chase Buford, coach of the Milwaukee Bucks' G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, apologized following an epic postgame rant in which he criticized referees Sunday. The Herd, playing at Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh, lost a 21-point lead in the second half and fell to Grand Rapids, 126-117.

"The officiating definitely went right for Grand Rapids," Buford said afterward. "That was as unprofessional an officiating performance ... I hope you tweet this out and tag the league, because that was embarrassing. (Referee) Matt Rafferty is a (expletive) clown. That being said, we have to be so much better at the end of games. We can't blow a 21-point lead with 12 minutes to go, however bad and biased and unfair and illegal and cheating the referees are. We have to be better closing games. That's the way I feel."

The tirade has gone national, though the Herd quickly released two statements, including one by general manager Dave Dean.

"We're aware of what happened with Herd Head Coach Chase Buford after our game today. We're discussing the situation internally and the appropriate discipline for Coach Buford. We will have an announcement on Monday."

In a follow-up Herd tweet, Buford issued his own statement.

"I deeply apologize for my behavior following our game against Grand Rapids today. It was unprofessional and I'm embarrassed. My sincere apologies to referee Matt Rafferty, the Grand Rapids Drive, their fans and the Herd organization.

"It's a tough learning experience as a first-year head coach and I am truly sorry, and will grow from this."

Buford was named coach of the Herd in July at age 30. He served as an assistant most recently with the Delaware Blue Coats, a G-League affiliate for the Philadelphia 76ers, and he also has some NBA experience as a scout with the Atlanta Hawks and coordinator of player development for the Chicago Bulls.

Buford is a native of San Antonio and was a walk-on playing college basketball at Kansas, including as a member of the 2008 team that won the national championship.

He's the son of San Antonio Spurs CEO of Sports and Entertainment, R.C. Buford, a two-time NBA Executive of the Year when he was general manager with the Spurs.

Update: Buford was suspended two games by the G-League.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.