NHL Playoffs, Round 2!

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Asher

Nabokov is good, but not as good.

You guys had Kipper as your THIRD goaltender, so this argument doesn't even fly. The Shark's management is incompetent, which is why they won't win the cup.

No one serious thinks that any other team than Tampa is going to win the Cup.

[Agathon]

I think Tampa or Philly. But who cares...

[Fake Boris]

Oh, I was contradicting Asher. Isn't that a good reason?

[Agathon]

It's not hard, just tell the truth.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oncle Boris
No one serious thinks that any other team than Tampa is going to win the Cup.

Everyone serious picked Vancouver over Calgary.
Everyone serious picked Detroit over Calgary.
And now everyone series thinks Tampa is going to win. Excuse me while I gag...

[ixnay]

Flyers over Lightning
Flames over Sharks

Flyers over Flames

[Fake Boris]

Originally posted by Asher

Everyone serious picked Vancouver over Calgary.
Everyone serious picked Detroit over Calgary.
And now everyone series thinks Tampa is going to win. Excuse me while I gag...

If Calgary wins the Cup, I write you a love letter.

[MRT144]

ahser be so HaPpY!!!

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Asher

Everyone serious picked Vancouver over Calgary.
Everyone serious picked Detroit over Calgary..

Which excludes you, by your own admission, from being considered a serious person.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
Which excludes you, by your own admission, from being considered a serious person.

Are you really this stupid?

It was a way of shooting down his argument -- the "serious" people being synonymous with morons who are 0 for 2.

[Agathon]

I'm not stupid enough to leave myself open to such an obvious retort.

He's right. Smart money went on Detroit or Vancouver. The fact that they were wrong doesn't mean it wasn't the best bet.

What you are doing is one of the most common fallacies. You're like the guy who bets on the 1/100 chance as opposed to the 99/100 and then claims he was smart for doing so. In fact he was an idiot, since the odds were the other way - even if he did turn out lucky.

Trying to justify irrational predictions with the aid of hindsight is one of the human race's favourite games. But it still doesn't stop them from being irrational predictions.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Agathon
I'm not stupid enough to leave myself open to such an obvious retort.

No, you were stupid enough to make the incredibly lame retort. No skin off my back...

I wasn't betting based on chance, I was betting based on watching the teams gel and play all season long. Maybe I'm just a bit more intelligent about how I determine who will win, rather than looking at roster stats and 'experience' like you seem to do.

[Agathon]

Sometimes a person can have good reason for betting against the favourite. Perhaps they know something other people don't (e.g. key players are carrying injuries).

Years ago I confidently predicted that Holyfield would knock Tyson out. No one believed me, but it was a no brainer. Tyson was past his prime and had succeeded in all his recent fights by bullying his opponent into submission. In Holyfield he was facing a guy who was more skilled than anyone he ever fought and who had demonstrated that he couldn't be bullied. In the end that's exactly what happened. Tyson attempted to dominate Holyfield, but the latter stood toe to toe with him and Tyson didn't know what to do. In the end the fight had to be stopped because he was taking such a whipping.

As for Calgary vs Vancouver, smart money was on the Canucks. In the end it was a pretty even series that came down to overtime in the seventh game. The fact that this happened meant that people probably overestimated the Canucks, but that doesn't mean that they should have bet on Calgary. That series went down to the wire.

Detroit just look shot. Most people thought that last year's performance against the Ducks was an aberration. Turns out that wasn't true. They just don't have the killer instinct any more.

I'm not going to make any picks on the current series. I have no idea of who will win out of Calgary and San Jose, nor Philly and Tampa (Tampa swept the season series, but I don't know whether they'll be able to carry that on). I think the East will beat the West this year because we had the stronger conference.

[Agathon]

Originally posted by Asher

No, you were stupid enough to make the incredibly lame retort. No skin off my back...

I wasn't betting based on chance, I was betting based on watching the teams gel and play all season long. Maybe I'm just a bit more intelligent about how I determine who will win, rather than looking at roster stats and 'experience' like you seem to do.

Rubbish. You just hit and hoped because it's your team. But hey, everyone does that (Leaf fans are just better at it than most).

Don't try to pretend otherwise, it won't wash.

Where did I look at roster stats? I bet on an experienced team winning because in the last 25 years only one team without much experience has won the Cup (Montreal) and even they had a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in net.

Why is it my fault that you can't acknowledge the painfully obvious? Hell, of course there's a chance that Calgary might win, but reason tells us it's a long shot - and that is why they are such a compelling story (as were the Ducks, Wild and Canes in recent years).

[Asher]

The painfully obvious is Belfour isn't as good as you may think he is, and Toronto got eliminated because they aren't a playoff-calibre team.

The Flames have been the whole second half of the season. With a leading scorer, a leading goalie, and a lot of hard work -- they're going all the way, or at least very close to it.