The Loop
G League coach Chase Buford goes on epic referee rant while looking an absolute madman
All referees in every major sport suck, but the refs in college and pro basketball are particularly putrid. Maybe it just feels that way because we are in the middle of basketball season, but it also feels like their presence is most felt on the hardwood. They bog down the game with all the foul calls, they take forever to review plays (because they usually get them wrong the first time) and they all secretly love the TV time that comes with calling a charge. Their actions can make a man go mad.
Enter NBA G League coach Chase Buford, who did, in fact, go mad on Sunday afternoon after his Wisconsin Herd (the Milwaukee Bucks' affiliate team) blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Grand Rapids Drive (the Detroit Pistons' affiliate team). Buford did not hide from the fact that his team completely collapsed down the stretch, but he first made sure to take the referees to task, going on an epic rant all while looking like he just woke up from a quick power nap. Seriously, his hair screams "I'm about to lose my shit on the officials" / "I just got electrocuted." Enjoy:
If you're going to rant like a madman, you might as well look the part. More coaches should purposely screw up their hair, unbutton their shirts and maybe give themselves a black eye before meeting with the media and laying into referees.
Oscar-worthy stuff from Buford. Who needs to see that new Ben Affleck basketball flick when you can just watch Wisconsin Herd games?
As for whether Buford's rant was warranted, it sure seems to be when looking at the box score. The Drive had 18 free throws to the Herd's nine, and they committed just 13 fouls while the Herd committed 21. Eight of those 21 were called in the fourth quarter alone, including two technicals, both on Buford, who was ejected with 34 seconds left in the game. Grand Rapids outscored Wisconsin 48-20 in the game's final frame, and wound up winning by nine, 126-117.
Buford apologized just a few hours after the rant had gone viral:
Apologizing is the only move here, but it would have been great if he doubled down on Matt Raffery, that effing clown (we kid, we kid).