<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Mo Pete back in Toronto means mo' good lovin'. Hugs and at least one kiss, too. The kiss: Morris Peterson planted one right on the Raptors logo at centre court moments before he and his New Orleans Hornets tipped off last night against the team for whom he gave his heart for seven long seasons. The hugs: Peterson exchanged them with dozens of Raptor loyalists, ushers, security personnel and, especially, many of the current Raptors themselves, still friends. The good loving: It showered down from many in the capacity Air Canada Centre crowd, a group that has been known in the past to turn surly with former Raptors. Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter figure most prominently in that group. Their departures were acrimonious, in sharp contrast to Mo Pete's last off-season. Asked before the game if he might get chills (nothing to do with the unseasonable weather), Peterson said: "I might start crying ... I almost walked into the wrong locker room at first," he added. "I had to stop myself. (Teammate Bonzi Wells) had to pull me back." Asked afterward if the experience was everything he'd hoped it would be, he said no, that "it was more, it was even better ... I can't even put it into words. That's why I went up and kissed the floor. It was spontaneous. I was just going to wave to the crowd. But something told me to kiss the floor." Everywhere he went last night Peterson met with smiles and hearty greetings, returning embraces and handshakes. "It's just good to be in an environment you've been in for seven years, somewhere you consider home." After seven years, the Raptors got the itch for change. There was not, however, any case of seven-year bitch from anyone. His time was up, he went softly into free agency and landed softly, too, with a four-year, $23 million deal in New Orleans, where the Hornets have sold out their last few games and feel they are bringing more pride back to that still-devastated city. Wins such as last night's, 118-111, have them among the contenders to go all the way, now 50-22. Toronto fans grew to love Mo Pete in part because he represented consistent defensive effort and a sweet three-point touch through what were some wildly up and down years. Through his franchise record 547 games played, familiarity bred content. He wears No.9 now but there was plenty of old No.24 Raptors gear in the house. When the game ended he tossed his Hornets top to a delighted fan. "I always pride myself on going out there and leaving it all on the floor. Things might not always go my way but I think people respect the way I go out there and leave it all on the floor. I love to play the game and it shows in my emotions, it shows when I'm out there." All this sweetness can be cloying. Pro sports is supposed to be about the bottom-line, isn't it? Blood, sweat, tears and dollars, not necessarily in that order. Peterson was in the starting five again last night, but he had been averaging only 23.9 minutes per game, roughly what he got in his last season with Raptors, after the season before playing a career-high 38.3 minutes per game. In this one, he played 24:02, scored his team's first field goal and wound up with two three-pointers and eight points. He's 30. He has a role to play, the veteran presence to Chris Paul's youthful and spectacular explosiveness. Peterson said Paul should wind up being named MVP. "I'm excited about this team," said Peterson. "A lot of people who counted us out early didn't know how hard we work." They're on a roll, momentum building. The New Orleans double double: Mo Pete and the Big Mo.</div> http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/407473
