To the victor go the spoils.
After the Pacers posted a league-leading 12 wins in December, head coach Nate McMillan was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month on Wednesday.
The Pacers finished the month 12-3, one game better than the Houston Rockets whose coach Mike D’Antoni was named Western Conference Coach of the Month after going 11-4. The Pacers lost their first game of the month and then won seven straight, lost two in a row in excruciating fashion, then finished the month winning their last five games.
All three losses included last-game breakdowns (missed free throws, turnovers, referees) that flipped apparent wins into losses.