BEEF VOTE: Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James OR Shaq vs. JaVale McGee

(8) Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James

First Round Analysis: Another big upset! This one though isn’t too surprising. In my prediction, facing CP3 and DeMarcus Cousins, I said, “Could the starpower of Pierce-James be enough to upset the 1-seed?” It obviously was. Also, this one’s a Joe Ali production and we all love us some Joe. It’s also the freshest beef in the bracket, so could pull more votes from those who haven’t gotten the taste out of their mouth.

Beef Breakdown: The battle between these elite scorers spans multiple teams, family members, and even a preseason spitting incident. And since retirement, Pierce has carried it over into the broadcast space where he’s given the opportunity to spout his opinions on King James, who in the eyes of Pierce, is not worthy of the crown (GASP!).

Best Known For: The playoff battles between these dudes were never simple and straightforward, and since they missed each other just as often as they met, the showdowns were always a little extra special.

(4) Shaq vs. JaVale McGee

First Round Analysis: Shaq is the beef king, so it makes sense he helped squeak this one out. He and JaVale earned just 51 percent of the votes against Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, but that’s literally all you need to win. Similarly, this is a more recent production which has to help - it’s hot at the perfect time.

Beef Breakdown: Shaq and JaVale have a sort of a big brother-little brother relationship. Not in the sense that Shaq looked out for JaVale or anything like that, no certainly not. More in the sense of... Shaq teased JaVale until it became a real fight so vicious Mom had to step in. Seriously their moms got involved.

Best Known For: JaVale’s appearances on Shaqtin A Fool are classic and honestly probably kept the TNT segment alive.

Matchup Prediction: Oh man. Shaq and LeBron squaring off? Would pay many real dollars to see that, but for now this will have to do. I have a feeling the 8-seeded LeBron and Pierce will continue their cinderella run, but if I was a voting man and not just a betting man, I’d cast my ballot for Shaq and JaVale. While both were family affairs, Shaq and McGee’s mothers got involved to call off the dogs - you can’t get better than that.

Relive each episode and let us know below which beef is best. Voting is open through April 4, then the Elite Eight will begin on April 5.

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