Adam Best is the lead writer at Lake Show Life, a Los Angeles Lakers blog. As a lifelong Lakers and Reggie Miller fan, he wanted to contribute this unique guest post on the game to Indy Cornrows. Enjoy!

Ever have two kids play against each other in a game? That's what tonight feels like for me. Granted, I don't even have kids, so I'm assuming a lot. But I have a lot of love for both of these franchises.

I was a Lakers fanatic as a child, a little beanpole who idolized my nicknamesake -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. With my eyes fixated on the L.A. sports scene, as the Captain's career wound down I soon found a new beanpole to idolize -- UCLA's own Reggie Miller. He was my favorite athlete for two decades, and as a result I always cheered on his Pacers. But I've been a Lakers fan since I can remember, and when Reggie and Donnie Walsh left the Pacers organization, dignity left with them. The fallout for me is that it's been hard for me to care about the Blue and Gold half as much as I care about the Purple and Gold.

I've also always hated Shaq and loved Kobe Bryant, so that has also changed my outlook on my Laker fandom as well. I've always liked Shaq about as much as movie critics have liked his acting. I just think the guy is a jackass. So his exodus out of Tinseltown helped set things right for me when it came to my Lake Show.

Other than Jeff Foster --who I once hung out with for a couple hours over drinks -- and my man Danny Granger, I can hardly even say that I like any Pacers. My love for the Pacers has always been connected to my love for Reggie Miller. Things are a lot different A.R. -- After Reggie. A.J.O. even -- After Jermaine O'Neal. In some ways, the Basketbrawl even made me hate the Pacers organization. Deep down I feel like Larry Bird's allegiance to Ron Artest cost Uncle Reg a ring, I guess. Well, that and Stephen Jackson's stupidity.

I really, really like Danny Granger, though. With Lamar Odom out, he'll be seeing a lot of one of my other favorite NBA players -- Trevor Ariza. Danger Granger vs. the Venezuelan Vendetta. Now that's a match-up. Obviously, Granger is the better player right now. He's become one of the NBA's finest scorers and is blossoming into a legit superstar. I always thought that Danny would become an All-Star, but I never thought he'd be this freakin' good. Especially this early. He's a legit MVP candidate should the Pacers make the playoffs.

Additionally, one big reason that I fell in love with Reg and Kobe is their penchant for hitting game-winning daggers. Granger's Dagger in the Desert the other night was awesome. He simply took over that game down the stretch.

Ariza, meanwhile, is one of the most underrated players in the league. He's like a shorter, better Jonathon Bender in the fact that he absolutely stuffs that stat sheet. Defensively, I'm not sure that he isn't better than Granger right now. He will definitely need to be at the top of his defensive game, because Granger has scored 35-plus points in three straight, which is absolutely ridiculous, even by Kobe's standards. He's also a great passer and solid rebounder, as is Danny.

I also think that Mike Dunleavy being out has hurt the Pacers significantly. But he's back. Him playing with Luke Walton and Odom out (probably) could make a huge difference tonight.

Stephen Graham -- if Marquis Daniels, who's a pretty solid player, is still bothered by that groin -- is going to have his work cut out for him going up against the Black Mamba. I expect Granger to slide over and defend Kobe some. Brandon Rush could spend some time on KB24 as well. If I were Obie, I'd throw all three guys at him, as well as Marquis Daniels if he plays. I would not have Mike Dunleavy anywhere near him on the defensive end. That's a re-injury waiting to happen.

As far as Lakers swingmen go, ex-Pacer Josh Powell will get some minutes do to injuries. He could play more than Vladi Radmanovic if Vladi struggles with his shot. If this game turns into a track meet, Powell is the better fit.

With T.J. Ford battling a lower back injury, Jarrett Jack has filled in admirably. The Lakers also have a big injury at the point with Jordan Farmar out, so both teams are thin at the point. The three-point shooting of Sasha Vujacic and Travis Diener will also be key. Sasha played lights out with 12 points, 6 assists and zero turnovers in relief of Derek Fisher the other night, so he could have a big effect on this contest.

With both teams a bit depleted by injuries, especially the Lakers, the frontcourt is going to be what likely decides this game. If Andrew Bynum, aka Diaper Drew, and Pau Gasol can stay out of foul trouble and get going early, I don't see any way the Pace Show can keep up with the Lake Show. Both players had great efforts two days ago against the Warriors, combining for 51 points, 29 rebounds and 4 blocks while shooting over 50 percent from the field and going 13 for 14 from the line. Roy Hibbert, Troy Murphy and Co. are going to have to really play a flawless game to nullify the Lakers' frontcourt advantage. Even with L.O. out, which I expect him to be.

I think this will be a fast-paced game in which the Lakers will eventually exact revenge for Murphy's buzzer beater. Hopefully, this game turns into a shootout between Granger and Kobe, as that would be a lot of fun. With all the media attention the Lakers receive, this will be another great opportunity for Granger to add to his ever-growing legend. Good luck, Pacers fans. Tonight will be like me rooting for my child against my step-child, so I'm pulling for you. Sort of.