Afraid an NBA Finals without LeBron James would be short on storylines? Think again.

The Warriors are on the longest NBA Finals run in a half-century, looking for the first three-peat since 2002.

Kawhi Leonard is looking to become the King in the North, leading Toronto to its first-ever title — before his potential exit.

Will injured Warriors Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins return in time for this series? Can Golden State stay this red-hot without either? Or will Leonard stake his claim as the best player on the planet with a title? And will these be the last games he, Durant and Klay Thompson play for their teams?

We’ll find out when the series tips off Thursday.

Golden State has reached its fifth consecutive NBA Finals, doing so with Durant sidelined. They’re 5-0 since he went down on May 8 with a calf strain in the Western Conference semis, still finding a way to trap the ball out of Damian Lillard’s hands and sweep Portland in the West finals.

The Raptors are a different story, though. They are seasoned, resourceful and defensively stout, pushed hard in every one of their series victories yet gritty enough to find ways to pull them out.

And after Golden State had to claw its way out of double-digit deficits in the last three games, the Warriors likely can’t afford to dig holes like that against Toronto, especially as long as Durant is out.

Here’s a look at the matchups, with postseason stats:

Stephen Curry (27.3 points, 6.3 boards, 5.6 assists) vs. Kyle Lowry (14.7 points, 6.4 assists)

After seemingly losing a step early in the season, Lowry has acquitted himself well. When he’s teamed with Leonard, Toronto has outscored foes by 148 points this postseason, the best plus-minus among all combos. But Curry is flat-out on another level and a mismatch that favors the Warriors.

Curry’s usage rate has shot up every round, peaking at 32.1% in a conference finals without Durant. After watching Andre Iguodala win Finals MVP during the Warriors’ first title run and Durant the next two, this could be his year.

Edge: Warriors

Klay Thompson (19.1 points, 39.3% from 3) vs. Danny Green (6.8 points, 32.5% shooting).

Going back to sharing the ball and an up-tempo motion offense without Durant clearly benefits Thompson, a pending free agent. This tilts even more the Warriors’ way considering Green’s funk. The Raptors somehow won the last four games against Milwaukee with him hitting just 1-of-15 from deep. But they’re not going to get away with that against Golden State, and are going to need more from him.

Edge: Warriors.

Andre Iguodala (10.1 points, 1.2 steals, plus-6.0) vs. Kawhi Leonard (31.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, plus 7.8)

Leonard has gone into Michael Jordan mode, willing Toronto through a bunch of nervy moments to get here.

Iguodala is a tough, savvy defender in Golden State’s small lineup; and with Durant out to start the series, keep an eye on the former Finals MVP going up against Leonard.

Leonard’s sister posted — and deleted — a video in which somebody can be heard saying Toronto knows the star is leaving. But Leonard himself has been laser-focused. His shooting splits are a staggeringly efficient .507/.388/.875. And on defense, his switch on to fellow MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo with Toronto down 2-0 to Milwaukee turned around the East finals. Who will he guard this series?

Edge: Raptors

Draymond Green (13.6 points, 9.9 boards, 8.2 assists) vs. Pascal Siakam (18.7 points, 7.0 rebounds).

Durant is making the trip to Toronto, but has already been ruled out of Game 1. Not having Game 2 until Sunday helps, but the Warriors are facing arguably the best 1-2 forward punch in the NBA.

Green finally stopped losing his mind at the refs, and by pure coincidence is now playing the best basketball of his life. With Durant out, it couldn’t have come at a better time for Golden State. He may see some time guarding Leonard when Iguodala isn’t.

Meanwhile, Siakam is a Most Improved Player finalist (he’ll contend with D’Angelo Russell) and can go toe-to-toe with Green.

Edge: Even.

Jordan Bell (3.2 points) vs. Marc Gasol (8.6 points, 6.1 boards, 3.2 assists, 40% from deep).

The fact is, it’s hard to analyze the Warriors’ center spot until we know how much they can get from DeMarcus Cousins, if anything. Boogie has been out since hurting his quad in the first round against the Clippers, and is listed as questionable for Game 1.

But everybody knows what Toronto has in Gasol. Finally going into his first NBA Finals, Gasol has been the model of consistency since he replaced Serge Ibaka in the starting lineup in March. When he’s played alongside Lowry, Green, Leonard and Siakam, they’ve outscored foes by 13.3 points per 100 possessions in 302 minutes over 16 playoff games. That’s more than twice as effective as any of the Warriors’ three most-frequent lineups.

Edge: Raptors

Golden State: Andrew Bogut, Quinn Cook, Kevon Looney, Shaun Livingston.

Toronto: Serge Ibaka, Norman Powell, Fred VanVleet.

Again, it’s hard to even say who the bench is until we know if Durant and Cousins are playing, and how much. Looney has been solid, shooting an efficient 72.5% from the floor in 329 minutes. He’s played himself into a role going forward next year. But Toronto has an edge, especially with the likes of VanVleet coming off the bench to get big buckets like he did against the Bucks and Ibaka around to block shots and roll to the rim. They’re deep enough to barely need ex-Warriors Patrick McCraw and Jeremy Lin, the latter so little-used Milwaukee security stopped him because they didn’t believe he was on the Raptors.

Edge: Raptors.

The Raptors actually won the regular-season series 2-0, and they’ve just gotten better, between adding Gasol before the deadline and being the most-improved defensive team in the playoffs. But Golden State’s success speaks for itself.

The Warriors have 10 players who’ve played for a title before, thanks
to being the first team since 1966 to reach five straight Finals. And they haven’t lost since Game 4 of the West semis on May 6.

Edge: Warriors.

Steve Kerr vs. Nick Nurse

Nurse was a first-year coach with the task of following up reigning Coach of the Year Dwane Casey. He came through with flying colors, and he showed his chops with his savvy use of zone and the call to switch Leonard onto the Greek Freak that turned the East finals.

But Kerr has seamlessly juggled not just the ongoing questions about Durant’s and Thompson’s free agency, but has the Warriors humming despite the injuries to Durant and Cousins. He’s the Lord of the Rings, with five as a player and going for a fourth as a coach.

Edge: Warriors.

Brian Lewis: Warriors in 7. Unless Durant actually comes back and plays a significant role, in which case the Warriors win in a competitive six.

Marc Berman: Warriors in 5: They are playing with abundant joy — immune to the pressure without Kevin Durant. The East is still the least as Canada will find out.