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Matisse Thybulle\u2019s defence of interim head coach Tiago Splitter has gone viral after the Portland Trail Blazers were eliminated from the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n
Watch NBA with ESPN on Kayo Sports | Stream an average 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs.| New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n Thybulle, often one of the most thoughtful and considerate players in the game, fronted the media for his exit interview after Portland was knocked out by San Antonio in the first round.<\/p>\n The American-Australian\u2019s own future is in question as he prepares to enter unrestricted free agency, but even if Thybulle\u2019s time is up in Portland he left a lasting impression when it came to his thoughts on the job Splitter did.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the court, there\u2019s a term \u2013 if it\u2019s late in the shot clock and someone throws you the ball because they don\u2019t have a good look, and you have to shoot it with no time left, they call it a \u2018grenade\u2019. In a sense, that\u2019s kind of what Tiago was thrown,\u201d Thybulle told reporters, with a post of his answer on \u2018X\u2019 receiving over 20,000 likes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe beat the projections of what we were supposed to be capable of with a good, healthy team and a normal situation.<\/p>\n \u201cTiago took on a job that wasn\u2019t originally planned and a roster that didn\u2019t get stable until the last couple of games of the season.<\/p>\n \u201cIn some cases, it\u2019s a bit of a miracle. But even if you overachieve, it can still be disappointing for people.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, Tiago did an amazing job \u2014 he knocked it out of the park.<\/p>\n \u201cBut from the outside, we didn\u2019t perform well in the playoffs. We had ups and downs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the big picture, I don\u2019t know how many people could replicate what he did with what he had.\u201d<\/p>\n NBA WRAP: Aussie star ejected in all-time nightmare; star\u2019s mic drop as contender eliminated<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n Splitter took over as interim coach after Chauncey Billups was arrested in October following a federal investigation into illegal gambling activities.<\/p>\n The Trail Blazers had a 42-40 record since that point, going on to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2021. <\/p>\n Splitter was later given a raise from his assistant coaching salary according to ESPN<\/a>, while the prospect of a long-term contract was later discussed. <\/p>\n But the salary presented to Splitter was much lower than what is presented to most NBA head coaches according to Shelburne. <\/p>\n