Jimmy Butler had a godlike playoff run that cemented his status as one of the premiere postseason performers in the entire NBA. When the lights shine brightest and when the Miami Heat need him, Jimmy Buckets can and will produce.

However, there's no doubt that it's the final shot that he missed that will be on replay in his mind throughout the offseason. That's just the type of competitor he is. That lone shot could have propelled the Heat to the NBA Finals. Jimmy Butler would have cemented his name in the annals of playoff lore as a cold-blooded killer and owner of a series-deciding shot in a conference finals Game 7.

Instead, his shot came up well short and Jimmy Butler became the subject of scrutiny among fans and NBA talking heads alike. But the Heat superstar deserves none of the slander. Here are three (3) reasons why Jimmy Butler's hero shot in Game 7 was completely justified.

3 ways to justify Jimmy Butler's controversial Game 7 miss

#1 – Jimmy Butler earned the right to take that shot.

The most obvious reason is also the most weighty. Jimmy Butler had every right to take that shot and the potential immortality that came with it had it gone in.

Consider it a cumulative heat check after hitting a dozen or so tough buckets in Games 6 and 7 to get them to that point. He had 82 of Miami's 207 points combined in those two contests while shooting 55% from the field. Butler was that efficient on such high volume despite being the only consistent offense for the Heat and the top defensive assignment on the scouting report.

Butler said it himself after the game. The Heat were completely comfortable with their best player taking that shot, for better or worse.

“My thought process was ‘go for the win’ which I did,” said the Heat star. “Missed the shot. But I’m taking that shot. My teammates like the shot that I took, so I’m living with it.”

Given what he'd shown up to that point, he's proven to be a player worth trusting in that situation. The Heat were willing to ride or die with Jimmy Butler.

#2 – Jimmy Butler was beyond gassed for overtime.

It's not unusual for a team to go for the three when down two points in order to avoid overtime. However, it's not as common coming from the team playing on their own floor, with the home crowd there to fuel them for the extra five minutes.

Jimmy Butler, bless his heart, did not have five more minutes left in him. Was he going to play? 100%. Was he going to be running on fumes? After playing every second of the 47 minutes and 40 seconds before his fateful miss, you could argue he already was.

After carrying over some of his superhuman Game 6 into the first half of Game 7, pouring in 24 points on a sparkling 8-for-11 from the field before halftime, his effectiveness waned in the second half. He went 2-for-6 in the fourth quarter, including some misses that were going down for him earlier. That's not a knock on Butler. But the reality was that his body surely wanted the game to end right then and there.

#3 – Taking the three was a better decision than people think.

Jimmy Butler made just one three-pointer in Game 7. Coming off a Heat rebound towards the end of the second quarter, Butler loomed large past the half-court line with the Celtics defenders on their heels. They were expecting a drive.

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Boston anticipated, perhaps goaded even, Jimmy Butler to take the three-point shot in that scenario. They left way too much space that allowed the Heat star to step into his shot with confidence. Bucket.

Obviously, the circumstances were different for the second time around. The Heat's season was on the line then with Miami needing just two points to tie the game. Jimmy Butler had Al Horford left to beat between him and the rim.

He was also operating on zero rest and showed major signs of fatigue at that point. Getting past Al Horford, an excellent defender and rim-protector, was not going to be the easy two points critics are making it out to be.

Jimmy Butler had the exact same scenario from earlier in the game. Off a rebound and with his downhill drive threat forcing the Celtics defender ahead of him backpedalling, he was able to get a wide open look at a virtually uncontested three-pointer.

Looking back at the shot in hindsight, it's easy to paint Jimmy Butler's attempt as an ill-advised decision. But while that shot was in the air, nobody would have been the least bit surprised if it went in.