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As he often does, Dexter Fowler got the party started with a single that led to a run in the very first Cubs at-bat of the teams NLCS-opening win over the Dodgers on Saturday.The next inning, it was Jason Heywards turn to ignite the crowd at Wrigley Field, as he belted a pitch to the right-field wall and sprinted to third for a triple before scoring on Javier Baezs hit.It was just two Georgia boys getting on base and then crossing the plate. The score: 2-0 Cubs.The bond between Fowler and Heyward extends far beyond their being fixtures in the same Cubs lineup or even manning the outfield together as part of the best defense in baseball. It goes all the way back to when the two were just coming into their own as teenage baseball stars near Atlanta, and it began with an introduction that came as a surprise to an 18-year-old Fowler.We had the same trainer, and one day he says, Dex, wait around for a little bit. I got your twin coming in. I said, My twin? What are you talking about? Fowler recalled of meeting Heyward, who is four years younger.So I wait around for 15 minutes. He walks in. This dude is my height. Bigger than me. Got, like, a mustache. Im graduating that year, and hes in ninth grade.Im like, Yeah, right. This dude is my age. From then on, we played on the same summer league team. Obviously, years behind me, but I kept up on him. Then we hit at the same place and developed a friendship.That friendship has continued to this day. Heyward admits that Fowler is a little more public, but its the sense of humor that bonds them. Fowler agrees.J-Hey is a little more reserved than I am, he said. At the same time, he has a good heart. Hes funny and jokes around. Hes like my little brother.Asked what Fowler was like at 18, Heyward said, He was the same. Always a smile, funny and always a good time.This spring, it was Fowlers turn to deliver a surprise entrance, one that put smiles on the faces of all his teammates, especially Heyward.Fowler famously kept his return to the Cubs to himself, then stunned his old -- and new -- teammates by walking onto the practice field at spring training one morning, after it appeared he was likely to join the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent.Heyward was as shocked as anyone.He didnt know, Fowler said. I got him. I got everyone. I wanted to keep it a secret.He was very excited. He gave me a huge hug. Its great to be on the field with him. He makes my job a lot easier.For Heyward, it was a moment he wont forget. It was just cool to see him back with his team, he said. And for me, having one of my guys that I grew up with.In a frustrating first season with the Cubs, after Heyward spurned the Cardinals and signed a $184 million contract that guaranteed his every moment would come under intense scrutiny, Fowlers presence has meant a familiar face nearby as Heyward acclimates to life in Chicago.We always said it would be crazy if we ended up on the same team, Heyward said recently. When its [free agency] going on, you have no idea where things are going to end up. Then here we are.Throughout the season, Fowler was there for his friend as hitting woes -- and the pressure from the outside --?mounted.Someone that has been there before and done all the stuff, you end up just naturally leaning on that, Heyward said of learning from Fowler.If there is ever anything that needs to be said, were not afraid to say it to each other, Fowler said. Thats the way it should be.It could be their only season as teammates, as once again Fowler is set to become a free agent. Theres no telling what could happen, though Fowler has been the glue in the clubhouse and at the top of the order during the Cubs resurgence. No matter what the future holds, the two outfielders are cherishing their time next to each other in the locker room and in the outfield.I told him he would love it over here, Fowler recalled saying to Heyward during the free-agency period. And I said, Bro, if were on the same team, youre never going to stop laughing, man.Theyve been laughing all the way into the postseason. Baseball brought them together, and their bond might help bring Chicago a championship.Its special, Fowler said. To see how this started, and now were here together. Its definitely a blessing.Authentic Budda Baker Jersey . 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Authentic Chandler Jones Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style.PHILADELPHIA -- The number is 3,746.Thats how many minutes Kyle Lowry logged en route to becoming an Eastern Conference finalist and Olympic gold medalist in 2015-16.The 30-year-old point guard appeared in 105 out of a possible 110 games between the regular season, playoffs and international competition, validating all the hard work he had put in during the offseason to get himself in the best shape possible.And yet here he was a week after becoming a champion for the first time in his career, hosting a basketball clinic for kids and receiving the key to the city for his significant contributions to the community on a sweltering summer day 15 minutes from where he grew up.Its a blur, but its been a blessing, said Lowry, a North Philly native. I wish I had a ring and a gold medal like Kyrie Irving, but Ill take the gold medal for now. This is the biggest basketball accomplishment that Ive ever had.Lowry went 0-3 in title games (one public league, two catholic league) as a high schooler. In college, his Villanova Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion Florida. And as a pro, hed reached the postseason four times but never advanced past the conference finals.So after Team USA routed Serbia to capture the gold, Lowry was sure to take home a second souvenir: the game ball.Its alive. Its around. Its simmering somewhere, he said, laughing.If he has another big season, Lowry could potentially become the NBAs highest paid player in 2017-18. An 11-year veteran, hed be eligible for a starting salary of $33.5 million and a five-year total of $196 million, according to ESPNs Larry Coon.Lowrys agent, Andy Miller, says the expectation is that Lowry will opt out at the end of the 2016-17 campaign to maximize his earning potential, which makes perfect financial sense. Lowry is entering the third year of a four-year, $48 million deal he signed in 2014, which contains a fourth-year player option.Miller says Lowry is extremely confident both mentally and physically with Toronto Raptors training camp underway. And despite the shortened offseason, Miller said Lowry brought his trainer with him to Rio during the Olympics to ensure he was doing his best to remain healthy and fit. Miller also commended Lowry for accepting the backup point guard role for USA coach Mike Krzyzewskis team, a sign of his maturation.Of course, it all goes back to his roots, when he was living on 20th and Lehigh.Lowrys feisty, hard-nosed game was fostered in the tough neighborhood where he grew up.Philadelphia made me who I am, Lowry said. Nothing was given to me, I had to earn it.He saw his father for the last time when he was 7 but was able to overcome his circumstances.All odds are against you: the crime, the drug abuse, the violence, Lowry said. My mom and my grandma did the best job they could and made as much money as they could to support me with a great life, and I had good people around me -- a lot of good friends who just wanted to play basketball. The odds are against you, but you find a way to get out.Lowrys older brother, Lonnie, introduced him to basketball at an early age. Hed often participate in streetball games with Lonnie and his friends, who were five years older.It was the start of a foundation that eventually saw him star at Cardinal Dougherty and Villanova before going No. 24 overall in the first round of the 20066 NBA draft.dddddddddddd His career sputtered early in Memphis and Houston before he finally found his comfort zone in Toronto.Its special, said Lonnie, who was always hard on Kyle and helped fill the void of a male role model for his younger brother. His attitude -- having to be tough, not backing down -- was built back then. He is this city. He is Philadelphia.Lowrys mother, Marie Holloway, worked 10 years at the IRS and 15 years with the U.S. Postal Service to support her family as a single parent. And when she wasnt working, she was chauffeuring her youngest son to AAU practices and games.Hes just driven, Holloway said. Everything that he wants to do and sets his mind to do, he does it. And thats where that edge comes in. Because even now hes still small compared to everybody else, so he knew he had to be special.People ask me that all the time what did you do? I didnt do anything. I just followed directions. Wherever he needed to be, wherever his brother told me he needed to be, I just made sure that he was there. Ive driven halfway across the country -- to Memphis for nationals -- because we couldnt afford to fly out there.Holloway, who lives comfortably in South Jersey now, is extremely proud of how far Lowry has grown as a person.He really had a thing about trusting men and making sure they were really in his corner, Holloway said. But the thing about him is, if he loves you, he loves you. Theres really no gray area with him. Hes matured so much. He was 19 going into the NBA and I think he had to figure things out, realizing you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. But like I said, once he realizes that you really are about him and he trusts you, theres nothing he wont do for you.Over the last few years since hes gotten married and had children, Ive always loved him, but I really love him because now hes starting to let people see his personality. Hes a good kid. Eventually hell hit a wall, but hes still on high. Hes on a mission.Over the last three seasons, Lowry has averaged 19.0 points, 6.9 assists and shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range. He and teammate/best friend DeMar DeRozan put the Raptors on their backs during the playoffs in 2015-16, overcoming shooting struggles and nagging minor injuries to take Toronto where it had never been before as a franchise.I think I gave a lot, but I think I can find a way to give more. Thats my mentality, said Lowry, who had 35 or more points four different times during the postseason. At the end of the day, nobody cares about anything but winning and losing, and I dont care about anything but winning and losing. People can say that me and DeMar we didnt do this and we didnt do that, and yeah we didnt play well or we didnt shoot well, but we made the Eastern Conference finals, so we definitely did something right.With DeRozan back, a healthier DeMarre Carroll and the addition of Jared Sullinger to the frontcourt, Lowry promises things will be different next time around.That wont happen again, trust me. I promise you that, he said. Going through all that made me stronger. I learned from it and Im a better player for it. Last season is still raw, but now we have to take the next step and continue to get better and not be satisfied. ' ' '