Problems With Curling Spares? Spare Me

Hello. On Tuesday night we curled against a "hated" (in a friendly way) foe. I personally like the guy, but his reputation of win-at-all-costs gets to people. When I beat him in the playoffs last year, people reacted like they won the lottery.
I thought we had a good chance against him, because we were playing well. I felt a couple of their players weren't that good, so we could give them a battle, even though they'd be favoured.
When I got there, I found out these two players were unavailable. Instead, two players who would be in anyone's top 10 at the club were taking their place.
Most people assumed we'd get hammered. They also thought it was unfair for my opposite number to have gotten them as spares, and enhance his win-at-all-costs reputation. Not me.
The two spares ended up playing lead and second, which I think should always be the rule. I still felt we had a chance. And boy, did we give them a run. Every one at the club was watching us, as we were 1 behind after 6 ends. Unfortunately, my draw in the 7th remained open, resulting in a 3-ender the other way. Game over.
Should I have protested. No way! I loved every minute of it. If you don't want to take on the best, then you're missing out on a great opportunity to get better.
Always go into the games believing you can win. You'll surprise yourself at how well you play.

Regards,
Steve