Kawhi Leonard is the best player on the Toronto Raptors, but Kyle Lowry has been the heartbeat of the franchise since he arrived prior to the 2012-13 NBA season. In his seven years with the Raptors, Lowry has averaged 17.4 points, 7.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds, and has been selected to the All-Star team in each of the last five seasons.

Yet for as much as Lowry has meant to the organization, even he would not have guessed that he would still be in Toronto seven years after he was traded from the Houston Rockets.

During his media session yesterday afternoon, Lowry said that he thought he would merely spend a few seasons with the Raptors before being shipped off yet again. Instead, he is a key cog for a team looking to win their first NBA championship. ESPN reporter Tim Bontemps wrote about Lowry's journey, including the level of uncertainty that he faced:

“When I first got traded here I didn't really know what to expect,” Lowry said Saturday. “I thought I would be here a couple years, and be out of here.”

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Lowry has been the subject of immense criticism for his playoff failures in recent years, and this latest run to the Finals has not been any easier.

The former Villanova Wildcat has failed to reach double figures in scoring on five separate occasions, including Game 1 against the Warriors.

But what Lowry has lacked in scoring, he has more than made up for defensively and in his overall team play. Despite scoring just seven points in Game 1, Lowry tallied nine assists and added six rebounds, also posting the highest plus-minus of any player on the floor aside from Leonard and Fred VanVleet.