(1) Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo
BEEF VOTE: Chris Paul vs. Rajon Rondo OR Larry Bird vs. Bill Laimbeer
Which beef is best?
Sweet Sixteen Analysis: CP3 and Rondo had a relatively easy time with their foes. I’m not surprised by the result, but that with 55 percent of the votes, it was fairly smooth sailing for the top overall seed. Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley put up a respectable fight, which I believe is where they went wrong because nothing about their beef is respectable.
Beef Breakdown: Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul got into it with each other very early in the 2018-19 season and everyone wondered what the source of their beef was. Old Olympic team selection grudges? Frustration over perceived slights? Jealousy? Or maybe it’s a little bit of all three ... at least, as far as we know.
Best known for: Their fight in 2018, which became an instant classic, plus the following back and forth which first alerted the world to their long-simmering beef.
(7) Larry Bird vs. Bill Laimbeer
Sweet Sixteen Analysis: SHAQ HAWK DOWN WE’VE GOT A SHAQ HAWK DOWN. Larry Legend & Laimbeer really proved to be Shaq and Dwight’s kryptonite and no I’m not sorry for making that joke because it is perfect. Bird & Bill are advancing with ease, they’re honestly making this shit look too easy. 75 percent of the votes! 75! I know they looked to be low seeded, but that just shows how much talent there was in the NBA regions. Now they have a shot at really making me look like a dick.
Beef Breakdown: Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer stood in the middle of an intense Celtics-Pistons rivalry spanning the late 1980s and early 1990s. But the individual feud between those two wasn’t just a battle within that war. It was personal. This beef might never end, so in this episode, we learn about what built it.
Best Known For: These guys started a full-on brawl during the playoffs in 1987, which included Bird throwing the basketball at Laimbeer’s head.
Matchup Prediction: I mean, in my heart I don’t believe this will happen, but Bird and Laimbeer are just going to keep steamrolling through this thing right? Like they’ve absolutely obliterated two heavy-hitting beeves (R1: Kobe Bryant vs. Ray Allen, R2: Shaq vs. Dwight Howard) and now get to cement the fact they should’ve been seeded higher. CP3 and Rondo should give them a tougher test than the others, but man, I’m gonna guess Larry and Laimbeer are advancing by at least a 20 percent margin.
Relive each episode and let us know below which beef is best. Voting is open through April 7, then the Final Four will begin on April 8.
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