Jason Kidd and Mike Tomlin. I don’t think I ever thought I’d write a post that included both of them. I am today.

The coaches of the Brooklyn Nets and Pittsburgh Steelers respectively, Kidd and Tomlin have both had moments in games over the past 28 hours that should have been embarrassing and definitely have been disrespectful to the games they coach.

The Water Spill

Kidd went first. Last night, on Thanksgiving Eve, Kidd’s team was down by two points and had no timeouts remaining with 8.3 second remaining in the game.

You watch the video and decide what you think:

Today, it was reported that Kidd was fined $50,000 for his transgression. The Nets still lost the game to the Lakers. At 4-11, they have been a huge disappointment this season after acquiring both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce this offseason.

That's an expensive spill… Report: Jason Kidd to be fined $50,000 for drink 'timeout' – http://t.co/G3wtIziwEn (via @EyeOnBasketball)

— CBSSports.com (@CBSSports) November 29, 2013

With relatively high expectations in New York this year, Kidd has a lot of pressure on him to start winning. Losing to the Lakers, who weren’t supposed to be very good this year, he made the desperate move of a coach who doesn’t see any other options.

Screwed over by 2 backdoor covers today. 0 and 3 for the day. 22 games below for the season. I feel like I'm being coached by Jason Kidd.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 29, 2013

In the way

Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin is someone I respected so much before tonight. Coming into the game, he was 68-39 as the head coach of the Steelers. His team has been to two Super Bowls and won one during his tenure. I always loved his demeanor, attitude, and the way his teams played.

On a kick return during which the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones looked like he was going all the way, Tomlin got in the way. Go here and check for yourself. It was a ballsy play — the officials could have awarded the Ravens the touchdown anyway and I’m pretty sure they could have also ejected Tomlin. Instead, Jones cut inside and was tackled. Instead of the possible touchdown, the Ravens only managed a field goal on the ensuing drive. In essence, Tomlin might have saved his team an important four points.

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Nearly Collides With Ravens' Jacoby Jones During 73-Yard Kickoff Return (GIF) http://t.co/yhIGpPqjmT

— NESN (@NESN) November 29, 2013

As a fan of Tomlin, who I thought was so stand-up, I was very disappointed. I would be really surprised if the NFL didn’t fine him.

Mike Tomlin's reaction: http://t.co/UskmQ5wgja

— Smart Football (@smartfootball) November 29, 2013

After going 8-8 last season and missing the playoffs, Pittsburgh is in danger of missing the postseason for the second year in a row. Like Kidd, Tomlin was desperate in a rivalry game that looked like it might have been getting out of hand. It was a level of desperation I would expect from a rookie like Kidd. But, for a seasoned, Super Bowl-winning head coach to do something like that was disappointing.

In the end, both Kidd and Tomlin lost games they really needed to win. Their teams just didn’t have enough on the respective nights. Kidd and Tomlin are both intense competitors. When neither of their teams were good enough, they just couldn’t help themselves. It’s safe to say neither the Steelers or Nets are going to end up matching their beginning of the year expectations. Desperation in professional sports is a heck of a thing.