Links To The Present: April 9, 2010

“Offensively, we were great. Mo attacked. He was aggressive. He got the ball from one side of the floor to the other. We had some great looks. Jamario came in and did a terrific job. Antawn did a terrific job. But defensively is where we got hurt, letting them get 109 points and shoot 52 percent.” [Mike Brown from Mary Schmitt Boyer’s Game Recap]

“When you hear LeBron isn’t playing, the natural reaction is to let your guard down a bit,” Noah said. “And we didn’t do that. A lot of things are going our way, but we can’t have any letdowns.” [Joakim Noah from KC Johnson’s Game Recap]

“In 25 years from now, [James is] going to wish he had an opportunity to take advantage of it,” Gervin said of the possibility that James might not play Wednesday and Durant wins the scoring crown. “I know that he wants to win a championship first but you can still make your mark with another scoring title. Michael Jordan won titles (six) and scoring titles (10), and he was proud of that. [George Gervin from Chris Tomasson’s Scoring Title Article]

“I expect Wade and Riley to try to recruit LeBron James to come to Miami on a four-year deal with a third-year opt-out, making the argument that they can team up for a three-year stint in the sunshine together, then opt out and do their long-term max deals in 2013 if they so choose. Also, depending on where the cap comes in, Miami can also add another nice free agent (perhaps Carlos Boozer) if it can clear Daequan Cook’s salary off its cap before July 1. If LBJ is not in the cards, I think Boozer will be the Heat’s top target.” [Chris Sheridan on D Wade’s Future]

“James has to have a real shot at the unanimous part. Has to. Still scoring the ball like a young Jordan while taking his passing game to new heights, LeBron has carried the Cavs to another 60-plus victories in what could have been a far more difficult season, given the thumb injury that interrupted Cleveland’s Shaquille O’Neal experiment and the raging uncertainty that surrounds LeBron’s future.” [Marc Stein on LBJ’s MVP Season]

Santino: Telfair looked serviceable last night. Any chance he excels playing with LBJ?
John Hollinger: Pretty sure that was an optical illusion. He’s a bad pairing with LBJ anyway since he can’t space the floor. I’ll be shocked if he sees any meaningful minutes in the postseason.
Seems the Cavs resting LeBron is a big deal today.  Half of Adande’s Chat questions were centered on it too.

Tweets To The Present: (follow me @tompestak)

“Update on Jamison foot: No x-ray or MRI needed. Doctors will take a look at him tonight before game. My guess is he sits out no matter what.” [Brian Windhorst]

“Varejao for the lead …” x 2. LMAO. [J.E. Skeets]

“Pretty obvious that J.J. Hickson needs LeBron in the game to be as effective.” [George M. Thomas]

“If Telfair actually becomes a legit contributor, then… I got nothing. It would just be absurd.” [Noam Schiller]

“Telfair just threw a LeBronesque pass to Z. I love this guy!” [Colin Zvosec]

“Butler head coach Brad Stevens had his contract extended till 2022, when he’ll be 31, I believe.” [HoopsHype]