I understand exactly what you mean. You see it all the time when two ppl go crazy at each other with in a HU steal situation, because they both happen to pick the same spot to take a stand. Then a pair of dueces picks up the pot at showdown.

The thing is, its very hard to describe this "phenomenon" exactly, especially in a single isolated hand example. It is related to metagame considerations, which can get very complicated if you're trying to pinpoint exactly what it is.
This is why I think we sometimes overanalyze things here, when the explanation could be as simple as: he did this because he felt like it. The only tool in our poker arsenal that helps us here is out gut poker instinct, which is just something that can't be taught.