All season long, Pacers coach Nate McMillan had preached the "Three Cs" to his team.
Calm.
Clear.
Consistent.
After watching New England come from a seemingly insurmountable deficit to win the Super Bowl on Sunday, he added two more.
Connected.
Confident.
After watching his team turn a 15-point first-quarter lead into a 15-point loss, 132-127, to Cleveland, he no doubt could find some other C words to describe what happened at Bankers Life Fieldhouse Wednesday night.
Confounding? Casual?
The Pacers rode into the game on a seven-game winning streak, only to be reminded of what happens when you let up or mess up against the elite teams.