Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has endured a ton of criticism over the years. (AP)

No athlete in the world has taken a beating publicly from fans, the sports media and other professional athletes for not being clutch more than LeBron James.

For years ESPN talking head Skip Bayless has mercilessly mocked LeBron for not having the “clutch gene” or being afraid of driving to the hoop because he doesn’t want to shoot free throws at the end of games. Bayless often referred to the 2011 NBA Finals as the low point of James’ career when he peppered him with shot after shot. Bayless says it is nothing personal, but his criticisms are so incendiary that it has fueled a lot of LeBron haters out there.

Bayless was somewhat muted after LeBron won a championship in 2012, but the damage had already been done. Every time LeBron stumbles his critics are quick to revisit his past failures. Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah loves to poke fun at LeBron every chance he gets. Noah recently challenged James’ manhood by calling him a pussy.

It took a few years for James to finally rid of the stigma that he shrinks in big moments. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ run to the 2015 NBA Finals not only validated LeBron’s place as the game’s best player but it also grew his legend by coming two games short of winning a title with depleted Cavaliers squad. His stat line during the series with Golden State was straight out of a Marvel comic book. Take away LeBron and these Cavs — even with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love — do not make the playoffs.

What so-called experts such as Bayless and other basketball scribes fail to recognize is that LeBron has succeeded more often than he has failed during his postseason career.

In the last 15 years, no NBA player has had more buzzer-beaters in the postseason than LeBron. That’s just as many Jordan had in his legendary career and two more than Kobe.

In the 2006 playoffs, Bron’s first playoff appearance, he scored the game-winning basket for the Cavaliers on a driving layup to beat the Wizards. In 2009, he caused a minor tremor in Cleveland when he drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the circle to stun the Orlando Magic. In Game 1 of the 2013 East finals, as a member of the Miami Heat, James scooted past Paul George and the Indiana Pacers with an electrifying left-handed layup to beat the buzzer.

There was a moment in Game 7 of the 2013 NBA Finals that changed a legacy. The San Antonio Spurs were poised to tie the game when the great Tim Duncan had a point-blank layup and missed. A few minutes later, LeBron hit a midrange jumper from the right wing to give the Heat a cushion with 27 seconds left in the game. It was a four-point swing that solidified James’ place in history. Had James lost to Duncan again, he would have been branded a one-hit wonder.

Winning back-to-back titles validated LeBron as a true champion. James’ stat line in that Game 7 was mind-blowing: 37 points in 45 minutes, 12 rebounds, and 5-for-10 from behind the 3-point line. His best shot probably came after the game during the on-court championship celebration when LeBron said, “I can’t worry about what everybody says about me. I’m LeBron James from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I’m not even supposed to be here.”

He has already won.

The latest LeBron clutch moment came in Game 4 of the 2015 East first-round game in Chicago when he reminded everyone that he is still the game’s best player and added to his growing legend. With 1.5 seconds left in a tie game, Bron “scratched” the play head coach David Blatt drew up and called his own number.

James said: “I told Coach there was no way I’m taking the ball out unless I could shoot it over the backboard and go in. So I told him, ‘Have somebody else take the ball out.’ The play that was drawn up, I scratched it. I just told Coach, ‘Just give me the ball. We’re either going to go into overtime or I’m going to win it for us.'”

That quote doesn’t sound like a player who shrinks in big moments.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh. (GETTY IMAGES)

Chris Bosh on the court is all about finesse, but the Miami Heat star rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles on Wednesday by responding to the verbal jabs from ESPN’s Skip Bayless.

For much of last season Bayless took shots at Bosh’s “soft” game and subpar performances by calling him Bosh Spice, suggesting that the 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward plays more like one of the Spice Girls.

Bosh, while sitting across from Bayless on the ESPN First Take debate desk, revealed that he personally didn’t have a problem with his TV critic, even calling Skip a “professional.” However, Bosh did admit that the not-so-flattering nickname irked him a bit.

“My only problem is just the whole misuse of the name,” Bosh said. “If I stink it up on the court that’s fine, I don’t have any problems with you. I love jokes. I love cracking jokes. My thing is, my family, we take a lot of pride in our name. My ancestors, my great grandfather, my father, my grandfather, my aunts and uncles, we’re very prideful with the Bosh name and I don’t like it being made fun of. And I don’t think they appreciate it either. That’s all.”

Bosh added, “You know, the Bosh name, that’s all we have. We’re hard-working guys. My father and his father, they paved the way to do what I’m doing today. That’s my main issue.”

To Bayless’ credit, he did not back off the Bosh Spice comment and explained to Bosh, face to face, why he came up with the nickname. “I respect the Bosh name,” Bayless said, “but I have no regrets by referring to you occasionally, especially early and at midseason, as Bosh Spice.”

Bayless continued, “I admit I was very tough on you but I thought that your performance with the Miami Heat, the Heatles, warranted an occasional use of that nickname. I thought it was fitting and accurate because occasionally early on with this team I thought you were soft and passive and unaggressive. And [Bosh] always had the power all year long to defend the Bosh name, you can shut me up at any time by simply performing and ultimately in the postseason you didn’t hear me calling you Bosh Spice anymore.”

Bayless reasoned that because Bosh chose to leave the media-friendly confines of Toronto for the red-hot spotlight in Miami that he instantly became an easy target, along with his Heat teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bayless hammered the point that the Heat brought the heavy scrutiny to themselves with the team’s over-the-top preseason celebration and LeBron’s infamous boast that the Heat will win “not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” championships.

Bayless pointed out one game against the New Orleans Hornets early in the 2010-11 season in which Bosh recorded one rebound in 34 minutes, and the next day Bayless slammed that weak effort and started calling the Heat forward Bosh Spice.

Normally, whenever athletes are verbally attacked like this, they jump out of their chair and threaten physical harm to reporters (are you listening Bobby Bonilla and Jim Everett?). But Bosh took Bayless’ stab and even admitted that the stinging criticism gave him a lot of motivation the rest of the season.

“I feel like I could have played a lot better. I’m my harshest critic. I just want to make sure everybody knows that,” Bosh said. “There’s nothing anybody can say that I haven’t heard.

“I don’t like the [Bosh Spice] reference, but I can’t say anything about the performance.”

The biggest revelation from the Bosh-Bayless debate was the fact that athletes, as much as they deny it, are affected by what reporters, columnists, analysts and fans say about them. Whenever you hear or see an athlete say he doesn’t hear the criticism, that’s a complete lie. They do listen and are not immune to it just like everyone else. Athletes are extremely sensitive. The majority of them have been coddled for much of their lives and any little negative feedback is met with anger, disappointment and disgust.

In Bosh’s case, he faced one of his “haters” and defended his position without getting confrontational. He gave a very intelligent response and even won over Bayless at the end as the Diabolical Hater hinted that he may pick the Heat to win the NBA championship next season . . . if there is a 2011-12 season.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManfastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.