<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> When they played the na tional anthem at The Q Thursday night, LeBron James did not salute a white flag. He threw up his first shot four minutes into the 113-94 victory over the Chicago Bulls. He did not throw in the towel. A chorus of critics on a slow sports news day decided James made the biggest royal abdication Tuesday night since Edward VIII with Wallis Warfield Simpson. James missed a 3-point shot Tuesday in the final seconds of an overtime that slid out of control to Atlanta, then walked toward the Cavaliers' locker room. One supposes that, had he retreated past midcourt to the defensive end and waved his arms back and forth over his head in an "X" pattern, like someone playing in a high school zone, it would have passed muster of the Competition Cops. "We weren't going to win the game. There aren't any seven-point baskets. This ain't Rock-n-Jock," James said, messing up the arithmetic of the nine-point deficit while referring to an old MTV show with a sliding scoring scale. James did not actually leave the court Tuesday, but instead tarried near the Cavs' offensive baseline. After the final buzzer, he spoke with Joe Johnson of the Hawks, who was his teammate at this summer's World Championships, then left. Critics said he violated the code of competition, which is believed to be written in the smoke of Red Auerbach's cigars and to be displayed in the floor burns of gym rats everywhere. So, after a Rookie of the Year award, an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award, a second-place finish in the 2005 NBA MVP voting, an exemplary season that took the Cavs within a rebound of the Eastern Conference Finals, heck, after 34 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in Tuesday's loss, James had to answer questions about his leadership, competitiveness, and character. "As far as quitting on my team, it's crazy," James said. </div> Source <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> It is nonsense to fix the perception of James from what happened in the final seconds Tuesday</div>. I applaud the Cleveland media for sticking up for LeBron. I wish the synics in the LA Media would do the same for our superstars.
