Apr 6, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeated Oklahoma City 103-98. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

For those of you that have read my work, you know that I like to mix in a wrestling tid bit here and there.  I’m a wrestling fan and have been for as long as I’ve been a Pacers fan.  Well, this weekend is the Super Bowl for wrestling, Wrestlemania.  But tomorrow night at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse, the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder have their own main event happening.  But remember, ESPN won’t be showcasing this what looks to be big match up.  ESPN has the  game between the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat.  Yep, enjoy that one.  That might as well be the youtube pre show match.  This one between the Thunder and Pacers is going to be a barn burner.

But there are two men that I will be enjoying the most.  Two men that have been carrying their respective teams to victory.  Two men searching for that bit of respect in the NBA.  Kevin Durant of the Thunder is probably right there at main star status.  But Paul George of the Pacers is ready to knock on the door step saying hey I’m ready to break down this door.  Two guys that actually have some of the same mannerisms about their game.  Two men who can put up the three or drive into the line for a great finish.  I still don’t know if Durant has upped his defensive side of things, so George might have a slight advantage there.  Durant did get one up on George in the previous meeting as he scored 27 points and his team got the victory.  That loss put the Pacers at 10-11 at the time, and we’ve seen the HUGE improvement this Pacers team has done.  How about going 38-16 since that time under .500 for the Blue and Gold?

Tomorrow night is a great opportunity for the Pacers and Paul George to see where they can go.  I know it’s not exactly a playoff match. But I think this game will have that intensity of that.  Last year’s meeting seemed to fall around the same time, and the Pacers were up by double digits, even up by 24 at one point until a furious rally got the Thunder close.  The Pacers end up winning that game, and had a chance to win the previous meeting this season until they fell down in that second half.

But I believe Paul George is ready to lay the smack down on Kevin Durant.  He’s faced Lebron James at his best, and now he’ll get Durant.  Durant is such a sleek scorer that this will be a challenge for George.  He’s got that confidence brewing though, and at home, this Pacers team has done so much better.  With a rocking crowd, the team possibly able to lock up a division title, Paul George will be ready to step up and take his place among the best.  This is like Paul George as an Intercontinental Champion going against the WWE Champion in Durant.  Who will rise to the occasion tomorrow night?  Paul George is my vote.  Paul George can smell what I am cooking.

The blue and gold played well throughout most of the night, falling behind by double digits more than once and using strong defensive focus to get themselves back in the game. In the end, however, the Thunder were able to pull away as the Pacers simply could not keep up on the offensive side of the ball.

Admittedly so, not many teams could have kept this one close the way Indiana did. Oklahoma City shot nearly 49% from the field for the game and hit 25 of 30 free throw attempts, 83 percent. The Pacers only got to the charity stripe 13 times, connecting on 11 of those, but thus were outscored by 14 points in that category.

One coud argue that to be the difference in the game. One could also argue that Durant and Westbrook are nearly impossible to stop on a nightly basis due to their length and athleticism.

The Indiana Pacers tried their best with defensive specialists in the George’s – Paul George and George Hill – but ultimately came up short on Sunday night.

Indiana was able to pull within four points twice late in the game, once at 84-80 and again at 88-84. Scott Brooks’ team then used a 16-9 run to close the game with an 11-point victory.

Durant poured in a game-high 27 points, while Westbrook tallied up 21 points and Kevin Martin added 24 off the bench for the home team. 22 of Martin’s 24 points came in the first half when Durant and Westbrook struggled to find their rhythm.

Once the two did begin to put the ball through the net, there wasn’t much the Indiana Pacers could do about it.

Frank Vogel did get another solid game from veterans David West and George Hill, and Paul George also played effectively despite looking a little gassed while trying to slow Durant on the defensive end. George managed 17 points and eight rebounds; West and Hill posted 21 and 15 points, respectively.

It was the second straight loss for Indiana. The team returns home to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday to host the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers, losers of five straight.