Toronto Raptors fan favourite bracket: A Morris Peterson vs Jonas Valanciunas final

As part of our fan favourite week, we decided to ask you, the fans, who was the Toronto Raptors all-time fan favourite? We’ve officially made it to the finals.

New school vs Old School. Historic favorite vs contemporary favorite. Morris Peterson vs Jonas Valanciunas. The Toronto Raptors fan favourite bracket is officially in the finals.

Over the course of our tourney, we saw thousands of votes cast, multiple razor-thin matchups, and quite a few blowouts as well. If you missed any of round one, the elite eight, or the final four, make sure you check those out.

How we got here

And after everything, we have just two contestants, Jonas Valanciunas representing the New Wave Bracket and Morris Peterson representing the OG Bracket. Both players have torn through the competition, really dominating every matchup.

Valanciunas, led by the members of the JV Hive, received 84-percent of the vote against 8-seed Bruno Caboclo, 67-percent against 5-seed Jose Calderon, and 69-percent against Amir Johnson.

More than 2/3rds of the vote against Amir! Johnson played six seasons for the Raptors, was beloved both on and off the court, and should be remembered as an all-time fan favorite. JV mopped the floor with him.

Peterson has been even more impressive than that. He won 80-percent of the vote against Charles Oakley, 87-percent against Jamario Moon, and 71-percent against first-seeded Jerome Williams! That’s not a particularly easy schedule, Peterson made it look like one.

Their matchup

Peterson vs Valanciunas

Peterson vs. Valanciunas is the most intriguing matchup we’ve had so far. The circus shot master vs. the JV Hive. A big-man with a seemingly growing potential vs. a talent capped wing who didn’t improve after his first couple seasons. If you’re a relatively new fan, you might not ever remember Mo-Pete.

Those who do remember Peterson will remember a rookie version on the Vince Carter playoff teams, a grizzled veteran on the Chris Bosh playoff teams, a player who helped the team during it’s darkest times, and of course, his game-tying bomb against the Washington Wizards.

Peterson was the connecting link between two eras. He played with the Raptors during some of the best moments in franchise history. He also played with a few teams that made you want to throw your remote. However, no matter the team around him, fans loved some Mo-Pete.

Valanciunas is a more controversial, but more inspiring fan-figure. If this were a political election, JV might have trouble picking up the swing voters. However, his base would come out in swarms.

The Lithuanian big man would be a dominant figure if he played a decade earlier, and because of that, oftentimes received criticism from outside fans and media. “Raptors need a modern center” “Toronto needs someone who can really stretch the floor”, etc.

But all that criticism did was strengthen his supporters. Fans were tired of being told what JV couldn’t do and instead focussed on his strengths. He was a fantastic pick-and-roll big-man, a rebounding machine, and although somewhat limited defensively, very good at protecting the rim.

The JV Hive was born out of necessity. Fans were tired of seeing a talented player getting dragged through the mud. They were the correction to Valanciunas’ detractors.

JV Hive will have their hands full against a player who was as supported and beloved as Mo-Pete. Both players are the fan favourite of their generation. But in terms of an all-time favorite, there can only be one.

We’ve already had a few matchups come down to the wire, so make sure your voice is heard. Jonas Valanciunas vs. Morris Peterson. Who is the ultimate fan favourite?