They had talked all along as if making the playoffs was a mere signpost on the road to a better destination. But after Sunday's playoff-clinching overtime victory over Miami, a loud roar went up from the locker room during coach Nate McMillan's postgame address.
Were they really that excited about it? Had they been bluffing?
Nah.
"They get to wear sweats on the plane tomorrow," McMillan explained.
That was the Pacers' immediate reward for qualifying for postseason play with eight games left in the regular season. The four-hour flight to Oakland is a long one, and comfort counts.