Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry tell Rachel Nichols how rough the season was at times but stop short of giving details. (1:28)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Five years ago, he slayed a giant when he won NBA Finals MVP in leading the San Antonio Spurs over the two-time champ Miami Heat. On Thursday night, Kawhi Leonard became a superteam killer again when he finished off the Golden State Warriors' two-year run as champions and again earned the Bill Russell Trophy.

The Toronto Raptors star capped a historic postseason by reaching a historic achievement as the first player to win Finals MVP with a team from each conference. Leonard earned the honor following the Raptors' 114-110 victory in Game 6 to close out a 4-2 series win.

"This is what I play basketball for," Leonard said. "This is what I work out for."

Leonard averaged 28.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting in the Finals, but he had probably his least impact in the clincher, scoring 22 points with six rebounds on a night when he got great help from his supporting cast.

But if there were an award to honor the best player of the entire postseason, Leonard likely would have captured that as well as he led everyone in points, rebounds and steals over the last two months. He's the first player to lead in all three of those statistical categories since Larry Bird in 1984.

"I think he's the best two-way basketball player in the NBA," Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. "He just goes. You know, I've seen some stuff from him this year that you just say, 'Wow.' You do. You say, 'Wow.' You appreciate the work that he's put in. He works extremely hard at his game and works extremely hard on his body. And he loves this basketball thing. Loves it."