{"id":716609,"date":"2026-04-23T15:15:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T15:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716609\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T15:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T15:15:18","slug":"matisse-thybulle-talks-blazers-mindset-entering-nba-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/716609\/","title":{"rendered":"Matisse Thybulle Talks Blazers\u2019 Mindset Entering NBA Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Portland Trail Blazers<\/a> guard Matisse Thybulle is embracing a label many teams try to avoid: the underdog. As Portland enters the 2026 NBA Playoffs as a No. 7 seed, Thybulle made it clear that being viewed as an underdog isn\u2019t a slight\u2014it\u2019s part of the identity the team is leaning into, because it gives them an advantage over their more alpha colleagues.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Brandon \u2018Scoop B\u2019 Robinson<\/a> ahead of a first-round matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, Thybulle framed the moment as an opportunity rather than a disadvantage. <\/p>\n

The two-time All-Defensive selection is expected to anchor Portland\u2019s perimeter defense in a series where slowing down elite scorers could determine whether the Blazers can pull off an upset.<\/p>\n

Portland\u2019s underdog status has been building for years. Since moving on from franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard, the organization has shifted toward a younger, developing core while navigating financial limitations and roster turnover.<\/p>\n

For Thybulle, impact isn\u2019t measured by traditional metrics. His value has long lived outside the box score, rooted in defensive disruption and anticipation. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a little bit of both,\u201d he said when describing his approach. \u201cIt\u2019s instinct that you accumulate over years\u2026 and trying to read people. I feel that I know what they\u2019re trying to do even though they\u2019re not telegraphing it.\u201d <\/p>\n

That ability to process tendencies in real time has made him a key piece in Portland\u2019s playoff strategy.<\/p>\n

Off the court, Thybulle credits his balance to creative outlets like photography and writing, which he says allow him to reset mentally. \u201cHaving these outlets helped me reset\u2026 I show up better for basketball,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

Internally, that role is well defined. \u201cIf you\u2019re in the game, the coaches are going to play the guys who are gonna win,\u201d Thybulle said. \u201cThe media may not value it as much, but\u2026 when you watch, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Portland Trail Blazers guard Matisse Thybulle is embracing a label many teams try to avoid: the underdog. As…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[7,6,11],"class_list":{"0":"post-716609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nba-playoffs","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-nba-playoffs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116454681712062207","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=716609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}