Cleveland ? Every dribble, every dunk and every decision he makes is dissected. Some more so than others.

LeBron James understands that. He just doesn’t get why some are saying he quit on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James was widely criticized on sports talk radio and by TV pundits for leaving the floor in the final seconds Tuesday night in a 104-95 overtime loss to Atlanta. After missing a three-pointer with 15 seconds left, he began walking off the floor toward Cleveland’s locker room while the Hawks dribbled out the clock.

James stopped near the baseline by Cleveland’s bench and watched until the final horn sounded.

He was first condemned by Atlanta’s radio team, and the call was picked up by some national broadcast outlets on Wednesday. Later, James was being compared to wide receiver Randy Moss, who left the field before a game was over for Minnesota.

James, who has been under a public microscope since he was 16, doesn’t think he did anything unusual.

“It’s not like I walked off the court and came to the locker room while there was still time left on the clock,” he said before Thursday’s game against Chicago. “I stood on the court the whole time, until the buzzer’s end, I even said something to (Hawks forward) Joe Johnson on his way out.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown didn’t know about the flap about James’ late-game stroll until he was told by his son that it was being discussed on TV. Brown said he and James had discussed the uproar.

“We both understand there is a right way to do things,” Brown said.

James’ walk wasn’t even noticed by the Cavaliers, who defended their teammate and said he isn’t the only one to leave the floor early.

“It’s no big deal,” forward Drew Gooden said. “LeBron is under such a microscope that every little thing he does gets noticed. I don’t care what anybody says, at some point I’m sure Michael Jordan and Larry Bird walked off the floor with 13 seconds left.”