Toronto mayor responds to Toronto Raptors being left out of poll

Toronto mayor John Tory had a cheeky response after the Toronto Raptors were left off a CBS Sports poll ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Toronto Mayor John Tory is not happy that his city’s Toronto Raptors keep getting overlooked.

CBS Sports released a poll asking who would win the NBA championship, but didn’t include the Toronto Raptors among its four choices. The poll may have been published before the end of Sunday’s Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 7 between the Raptors and Miami Heat, but it was still prominently featured on the Web site after the game concluded.

Tory and Raptors fans were not happy. The mayor, who has traded barbs with opposing cities so far this postseason, has issued an official letter to CBS Sports decrying their decision to call Toronto and the Raptors “other.”

Yes, the Raptors are seemingly an afterthought. Many believe the Cleveland Cavaliers’ victory in the Eastern Conference Finals is a foregone conclusion, and quite possibly could be a sweep.

Then again, few gave the Raptors a chance to defeat the Miami Heat in the second round despite having home court advantage. And yes, plenty of people believed the Indiana Pacers would topple the second-seeded Raptors in the first round after the Raptors fell in Game 1.

Toronto has been overlooked all postseason despite their sterling regular season record. There are probably not many “experts” who are taking the Raptors to win this series — the majority of ESPN’s writers are predicting a Gentlemen’s Sweep of five games in the Cavaliers’ favor.

If the Raptors do end up winning though, Mayor Tory will have a special place reserved for CBS Sports, titled ‘other,’ for the parade.

The Cavaliers and Raptors tip off Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals from Quicken Loans Arena Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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