Chris Webber respecting the Raptors

[RobertArchibald]

It's not foolish at all to be looking at the 2nd round. It's like Chess, it you want to win you need to think several moves ahead. Sure, we may not make the 2nd round, but we shouldn't wait to think about it until we're there, especially since we're just fans shooting the shit on a forum.

Logic and experience this season says that "if" we make the 2nd round, Indiana is by far a better matchup for us than the Heat. Therefore, it'd be foolish to not try and position ourselves for the easiest road to the NBA finals. Not that we have much choice in positioning, other than holding onto the 3 seed, the only thing that is exclusively in our control.

My point is that most people here are thinking that a first round victory is a sure thing. I'm not a pessimist, but a realist. Disagree about your chess comparison. In chess you have the ability to manipulate your opponent in order to position yourself better for future moves. The Raptors cannot influence what happens in a series they aren't playing in. Focus needs to be one series at a time, one game at a time, one quarter, one play etc. This concept is heavily studied in athletics and elite performance.

[RobertArchibald]

Brooklyn will get ALL the help in the world, you can count on that. The NBA has much to gain when an NYC based team makes the later rounds. They generate so much bullshit media and fluff to feed the masses it isn't funny. Whoever get Brooklyn first is gonna have to really, really go hard.

toronto, well they are the ugly stepchild, and I hope they know it, and use it as fuel.

100% agree. Not a favourable matchup for Toronto, due to the high-profile franchise factor. That said, nothing would be sweeter then sending the geezers to the retirement home early.

[Primer]

My point is that most people here are thinking that a first round victory is a sure thing. I'm not a pessimist, but a realist. Disagree about your chess comparison. In chess you have the ability to manipulate your opponent in order to position yourself better for future moves. The Raptors cannot influence what happens in a series they aren't playing in. Focus needs to be one series at a time, one game at a time, one quarter, one play etc. This concept is heavily studied in athletics and elite performance.

Nobody here thinks it's a sure thing. Everyone is clearly terrified of playing Brooklyn because you just know the refs will be trying hard to give them the series. Everyone is similarly terrified of Miami. Everyone looking at round 2 isn't saying the 1st round is a sure thing, but we will be the favorite in the 1st round (against Charlotte or Washington), so it's not too presumptuous to think we'll make the 2nd, and therefore wanna discuss possible matchups.

We're still being realistic. Nobody is talking about NBA Finals matchups because we know that's not realistic. Your argument is akin to rooting for a team in the NCAA tournament, but refusing to look over the bracket and picture a way through the region into the Final 4. It's just not realistic, we're fans, we wanna think "what if".

If we were the 8 seed playing Miami in the 1st round, then yeah, it would be fucking stupid to be looking at 2nd round matchups. But fact is we're going to be the favorite in our 1st round match, which is a feeling many of us have never felt, hence why you might be so averse to looking at round 2. It's ok. You can be a little bit confident in the Raptors now.

[psrs1]

hollinger has us having a higher chance to get to the finals and win the championship than the pacers.

http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/playoffodds

Only way is for someone else to knock off Heat.