2012 ESPYs: LeBron James Is Only Logical Pick for Best Championship Performance

The only way LeBron James won't win the 2012 ESPY for Best Championship Performance is if the country lets its collective bias get in the way of making the right decision.

James' performance in the NBA Finals was nothing short of masterful, but the ESPYs official page indicates that the entire NBA Playoffs will be taken into account.

The other contenders are World Series MVP David Freese, Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, Sprint Cup Champion Tony Stewart and Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick.

There's no doubt that Freese did something completely unexpected and amazing for the St. Louis Cardinals. He batted .348 in the seven-game series, drove in seven runs, stroked three doubles and hit the game-winning home run in the 11th inning of Game 6.

He also tied Game 6 in the ninth inning with a two-run triple to take the Cardinals back from the brink of heartbreak. That's special, but it's not what James did.

Coming from a New York Giants fan, it's surprising that there isn't any bias in this argument.

Eli Manning was the best quarterback in the clutch last season in the NFL. That was never more evident than when he drove his offense down the field to upset Tom Brady and the New England Patriots with a last-minute touchdown to win the game by four.

Manning was 30-of-40 in that game, racking up 296 yards, a touchdown and a quarterback rating of 103.8. Still, that's not as impressive as what James did.

Tony Stewart won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series, who won five races in the Chase. Still though, Stewart didn't win the title outright. He finished the season tied with Carl Edwards with 2,403 points. He was awarded the title because he had more victories than Edwards.

Had Stewart won the title without a tiebreaker, he would be a legitimate option.

Jonathan Quick was the cornerstone of the Kings' Stanley Cup victory. After his performance, the Kings awarded him a 10-year deal.

He was between the pipes for 20 games and won 16 of them, posting a paltry goals against average of just 1.41. His .946 save percentage was one of the main reasons why the Kings were able to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Quick was a stalwart, but the Kings were better than the New Jersey Devils in that series. It wasn't hard to tell.

Now on to LeBron James.

Before you get all worked up, let's get one thing straight: The Miami Heat had no chance of getting to the NBA Finals, let alone winning that series, without James.

Sure, the above teams would not have won without their respective best players (especially Stewart because there wouldn't have been a driver), but James was far and away the best player in his respective sport at the time.

Despite all the criticism and the vehement hatred of the entire country outside of South Beach, James averaged 30.3 points per game in 42.7 minutes a night. He pulled down 9.7 rebounds and dished out 5.6 assists per contest.

He put the Heat on his back when Dwyane Wade was playing on one leg and Chris Bosh was out with an injury. He outplayed Kevin Durant and the rest of the Oklahoma City Thunder when so many expected him to fall flat yet again on the sport's biggest stage.

Fortunately for the Heat and James' legacy, he had the best postseason of his career and one of the best the NBA has ever seen.

If he isn't rewarded for his efforts with an ESPY, all will not be right with the world.