He was a member of the Houston Rockets’ coaching staff on Dec. 9, 2004, the night Tracy McGrady went nuclear and scored 13 points in 33 seconds to power a remarkable Rockets fourth-quarter comeback over the San Antonio Spurs.
“He’s got a lotta trauma man,” Randle joked after sitting the fourth quarter. “He’s gotta work on that. He’s gotta work on that.”
Thibodeau said he can’t even relax when his team’s up big in the fourth quarter and he’s pulled his starters from the game. He wants his players to put everything they have into each and every play, each and every day, and he’s setting the tone on the sidelines — even if he’s got McGrady PTSD.
“In this league, no lead is safe,” Thibodeau said. “I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen 13 points in 35 seconds. So people will tell you ‘ah he needs to get the starters out of there.’ Yeah? Well I know what experience tells me.”
Thib's problem has always been this kind of short sightedness. He's seen 13 points in 35 seconds, and he's also seen his MVP's career trajectory permanently altered during the closing minutes of a blowout, and he's seen countless others wear down over the course of a season. Even on a purely tactical level, he's stunting the development of bench units that could help carry his teams through the regular season and provide key minutes in the playoffs.
He gets so focused on winning the next regular season game that he hurts his teams' chances at being their most competitive in May and June.