If the Brooklyn Nets fall short of reaching the NBA Finals with the star-studded trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving this season, it'll likely be due to injuries, rather than poor performance.
And according to JR, it's about that time for fans to accept the possibility of this unpleasant scenario.
"Injuries happen. Players get hurt. Players go down. The Brooklyn Nets have shown this the entire season," JR said during Monday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "I would be surprised if we went through an entire playoffs and Durant, Harden, and Kyrie Irving played in every single game. I wouldn't bet on it. I wouldn't count on it. I wouldn't expect it. I'd be surprised if that happened.
"And so Brooklyn, would they still be a favorite in the East? Should you still fear Brooklyn? Yeah, you should. Not to the same degree. Because they have not shown that they can stay healthy. There's no guarantee that we will see Kevin Durant. I have more faith in seeing James Harden, whenever he returns, because he's shown himself to be durable.
"But what's happened in the past is the past. This is the present. Kyrie, history of going down. James has been down this year. Kevin Durant, we haven't seen enough of him over the past two years. If I'm the Brooklyn Nets, be concerned, be wary. This team may not be as dominant as you thought they would be. And unfortunately, it boils down to health. And that's good news if you're any other team in the Eastern Conference."
Despite the Nets' second place record of 38-19 and 118.8 points per game (second-best in NBA), their Big 3 of Durant, Irving, and Harden has only played seven games together since Harden was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Houston back in January.
On Sunday night against Miami, Durant left early in the first quarter after suffering what Brooklyn called a left thigh contusion. The injury was certainly discouraging, as Durant had only recently returned to action after missing nearly two months (33 games) with a left hamstring strain.
As for Harden, who's performed like an MVP candidate this season, he's missed the last six games due to a strained right hamstring. And Irving, who leads the team in points per game (27.3) and assists (6.1), has missed 15 games in total due to various ailments and personal absences.
The last time the Nets made it past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs was back in 2014, and they haven't reached the NBA Finals since the 2002-03 season.
JR's complete thoughts on the Nets can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.