LeBron James ESPYs 2012: King James Unworthy of Best Championship Performance

There were a lot of admirable championship performances over the last year; and though LeBron James' showing in the NBA playoffs was admirable, it wasn't the ultimate championship performance.

King James deserved a lot of recognition at this year's ESPYs. He did, after all, finally get the ring we all wondered if he'd ever find a way to obtain. And though his performance throughout the playoffs was pretty spectacular, there's someone else whose individual role was far more significant to his team's postseason success. 

Looking at the other nominees for the Best Championship Performance award at the 2012 ESPYs, there is one candidate who was more deserving of this honor than LeBron:

David Freese, World Series
LeBron James, NBA Playoffs
Eli Manning, Super Bowl
Tony Stewart, Sprint Cup
Jonathan Quick, Stanley Cup

During a hockey game, there is no one who's under more pressure than the goalie. Sometimes, all a team needs in order to win is one goal. One measly goal. Which means that one mistake by a goalie can be the difference between winning and losing.

Quick simply didn't make those mistakes during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Overall, he went 16-4 and against the Devils in the Finals, he allowed a total of eight goals in six games—and even so, that was far more than he usually allowed. In Games 1 and 2, which both went into overtime, nobody's role was more important than Quick's, and he got the job done.

When the pressure was on, Quick stepped up, and he stepped up higher than anyone else who was nominated in this category. No matter how important LeBron was to the Heat, the fate of the season never rested solely in his hands. It's not his fault; it's just not the way the NBA works. In the NHL, a top-tier goalie matters more than anything else. 

The role of the goaltender will always be one of the most important roles in sports; and because the Kings had the best one, they were golden in the postseason. Winning a Stanley Cup will always require a spectacular effort from a goaltender, and that role doesn't translate to the NBA. 

Of course, the Heat wouldn't have been able to win the Finals without LeBron James, but what we saw conclusively throughout this NBA postseason was that the Heat aren't only about LeBron. Sometimes, the Heat win because of Chris Bosh. Or because of Shane Battier. Or even because of Mario Chalmers.

The Kings, in the postseason, were all about Jonathan Quick, more often than not. He was the one player who could make or break every single game. 

When it came down to it, Quick had to do a little bit more work than LeBron did to seize his title.