It’s fun to look back at Raptors history and remember some of the players who worked hard to bring the franchise out of the darkness and into the light.
Selected 21st overall in the 2000 NBA Draft, Morris Peterson began his 11 year NBA career with the Toronto Raptors. He spent his first seven seasons with the team and though his role fluctuated throughout his tenure, he remained a fan favourite. To this day, Mo Pete remains the all-time franchise leader in games played, 5th in points scored, and 1st in three point field goals.
Peterson operated as a swingman, playing both the shooting guard and small forward positions. Always a consistent source of perimeter shooting and defense, Morris thrived as a role player and eventual leader in Toronto. Throughout his career he averaged 12ppg, 3.8rpg, and 1.8apg.
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Mo Pete’s rookie season coincided with what was one of the best seasons in franchise history. The team posted 47 wins and faced off against Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. With the series eventually coming down to a Game 7, the Raptors ultimately lost to the eventual finalists. Morris contributed 7ppg on an efficient 65.1 TS% throughout the series. In his sophomore season, the Raptors again made the playoffs, but ended up losing 3-2 to the Detroit Pistons. At this time the quarter-finals were a 5-game series. Peterson improved his season averages in nearly every category, including a 5ppg increase to his scoring average.
Over the next four seasons, the Raptors experienced a playoff drought that included the abysmal 2005-2006 NBA season, where the team posted a 27-55 win-loss record. Alongside Chris Bosh, Peterson remained a bright spot posting career highs in scoring (16.8ppg), rebounding (4.6 rpg), and three point shooting (39.5%).
Ask any Raptors fan about Mo Pete and they will tell you all about his loyalty, defense, and three-point shooting, but they will also remind you of his legendary shot from the 2006-2007 season.
On their way to breaking the four-year playoff drought, on March 30th 2007 the Raptors matched up against Eastern Conference foe, the Washington Wizards. Down three points with 3.8 seconds left on the clock, the Raptors opted for a touchdown pass to try to tie the game at the buzzer. Wizards forward Michael Ruffin caught the pass and inexplicably lobbed it high into the air. Mo Pete positioned himself under the ball, caught it, and then quickly threw up a desperation three. Miraculously, the shot went in and the game was sent to overtime where the Raptors won 123-118.
Though it seemed insignificant, the game ended up having serious playoff seeding implications. Had it ended with a Wizards win, they would have been the Raptors first round opponent. Instead, the loss dropped the Wizards to the 7th seed where they were doomed to face off against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who proceeded to sweep them 4-0 that spring.
The 2007 NBA Playoffs marked the end of Peterson’s Raptors career, he signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans and spent three years with them before ending his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The love between Peterson and Raptors fans continued in his absence, most notably with Peterson kissing the Raptors logo in his return to the ACC.
Luckily for Raptors fans, January 2015 marked the return of Peterson to the franchise. He joined the TSN analyst crew alongside the likes of Jack Armstrong, Leo Rautins, and Matt Devlin. Although he is still getting used to his new career, throughout the Raptors’ 2016 playoff run Peterson provided invaluable insight as a former player.