Local News

With a New, Improved ‘Einstein,’ Puzzlers Settle a Math Problem

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:26

Earlier this spring, tiling aficionados thought maybe they’d found the shape of their dreams. Now they’re certain.

Categories: Local News

Attorneys spar over what toxicology report may show in Kardashian lookalike’s death after hotel-room beauty injection

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:25

SAN MATEO COUNTY —The case of a Florida woman charged with involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license in the death of a South Bay model and Kardashian lookalike may hinge on what a still-pending coroner’s report says.

Vivian Gomez, 50 of Royal Palm Beach, Fla., was arrested on April 21 at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Florida’s Broward County, police records show. She made bail this week and is out of custody, with a list of restrictions on her travel and behavior issued by the court.

The arrest came the day after the death of San Jose-area resident Christina Ashten Gourkani at the age of 34. Gourkani met with Gomez at the Marriott hotel in Burlingame, where prosecutors say Gomez performed an “illegal gluteal silicone injection” on the popular social media personality.

A self-professed “big fan” of Kardashian who spoke openly about a passion for plastic surgery, Gourkani had a significant social-media following, to whome she flaunted her Kardashian-like looks and exaggerated physique. She had nearly 140,000 Instagram followers and more than 200,000 Twitter followers before her death.

Prosecutors say Gourkani quickly felt ill following the April 19 procedure and was transported to a hospital, where she died the next day of “respiratory failure and a pulmonary embolism.”

Geoffrey Carr, the defense attorney for Gomez, told the Bay Area News Group in a phone interview that his client was “instrumental” in getting emergency personnel to the hotel when Gourkani was experiencing medical issues. Carr said Gourkani initially refused to go to the hospital but her partner, Gomez and the emergency medical technicians eventually convinced her to go.

Carr claimed that Gourkani’s only symptoms upon arrival at the hospital were lightheadedness and disorientation, adding that she thought she was in San Francisco when she was indeed in Burlingame.

According to Carr, Gomez didn’t leave the scene until Gourkani was in the hospital, and that happened to be around the time when her condition deteriorated. He said hospital records showed that Gourkani was suffering from brain swelling at the time.

“(Gomez) left town before any of that was known,” he said. He added that he wasn’t certain if her departure was in response to Gourkani’s condition or if she simply was returning home to Florida.

In a court appearance in Redwood City on Tuesday, Judge Lisa A. Novak denied a defense motion to reduce Gomez’s bail, which was set at $200,000. After testimony from Gomez’s son, the family’s bail money was deemed to be coming from a legitimate source and bail was posted shortly thereafter, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors say the court approved the bail on five conditions:

Gomez must surrender both her U.S. and Colombian passports to law enforcement; remain in California at all times; not perform any medical or cosmetic procedures; not possess any instruments intended for use in medical or cosmetic procedures; and waive her 4th Amendment rights and be subject to search and seizure by law enforcement.

San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said Thursday that Gomez posted bail and was staying with a family member in Southern California. She’s due back in court for entry of plea on June 7.

Carr also took issue with what he deemed a premature charge of involuntary manslaughter. He said that without the official toxicology and autopsy reports — still pending, about six weeks after the incident — there’s no legal way to say that Gomez was responsible for Gourkani’s death.

“The issue is that we do not have an autopsy report,” Carr said. “(Gomez) did poke (Gourkani) with a needle and that may have caused some problems but did it cause death? (That) is the issue.”

San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe called the charge before final coroner’s report “standard,” noting that such decisions are sometimes accelerated when a suspect is in custody, due to legal requirements on charging, arraignment and bail.

“As in all our cases, if we had loads of time to sit and wait for (the coroner’s report) to come back we would, but because Ms. Gomez was in custody we had 48 hours to make the charge,” Wagstaffe said. “If later on, once we get that toxicology report, if it were to demonstrate to us that what Ms. Gomez did did not contribute to the death, well, that would cause us to reevaluate.”

If the toxicology report reveals that the injection was indeed legitimate and did not lead to Gourkani’s death, the DA’s Office would “reconsider” the involuntary manslaughter charge, Wagstaffe added.

“I won’t promise we’ll drop it, I’ll leave that to my prosecutor,” he said. “But we’d definitely reconsider it based on the evidence we have at that point.”

Categories: Local News

Arizona Limits New Construction in Phoenix Area, Citing Shrinking Water Supply

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:23

Officials say there’s not enough groundwater for housing construction already approved, a glimpse of the challenges facing the West as climate change worsens.

Categories: Local News

New wine bar Library Social Club set to open in Walnut Creek

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:22

Wine aficionados will have a fresh place to sip in a couple weeks with the arrival of the Library Social Club, a new wine bar that will offer libations and small bites in downtown Walnut Creek.

The long-in-development wine bar, which is going into the former Guava Eats space at 1506 N. Main St., is run by JB Balingit and other folks at the Hideout Kitchen in Lafayette. Like the Hideout, which specializes in American comfort cuisine, the Library Social Club plans to serve up food in the form of small plates and charcuterie-style nibbles. But the main focus will be wine and beer, says Macy Delzell, director of operations at Balingit’s Morello Restaurant Solutions.

“During COVID, we had to shut the doors to our guests at the Hideout, which was heartbreaking,” Delzell says. “They came up with a wine club as a service to guests, where they could pick up wines once a month. Once we reopened, we wanted to just focus on guests getting the best experience possible, and the wine club got put on the back burner. So when this downtown Walnut Creek location became available, we jumped on that to do the club once again.”

The Library Social Club plans to be a membership-based service and “social experience,” complete with repurposed vintage decor, value-conscious price points and a blend of esoteric and classic wines and local brews.

Membership packages vary in price. On the low end, there’s The Apprentice for $100 per month, which includes one to two bottles of wine plus a complimentary tasting and various discounts. For $150 per month, The Academic includes one to two bottles, three complimentary tastings, priority invitations to winemaker dinners and vineyard/brewery tours and other perks.Related Articles

And what kind of wines will be featured? “JB loves to be all over the place. He wants to bring in new varieties every month, so people can drink and learn from them,” says Delzell. The new wine bar’s applications are all in, Delzell adds, and the team hopes to open by mid-June.

Keep tabs on the progress at www.librarysocialclub.com.

Categories: Local News

Tacoma woman refusing tuberculosis treatment arrested

Seattle Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:18

The health department had been working with the woman's family for more than a year to persuade her to take medication for tuberculosis.

Categories: Local News

King County assessed property values decline as housing market cools

Seattle Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:17

Property values are on the decline in many areas, particularly on the Eastside.

Categories: Local News

For months, Gluesenkamp Perez didn’t pay property taxes on Portland business

Seattle Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:08

A Southwest Washington member of Congress failed for more than six months to pay the 2022 property taxes on an auto repair shop she and her spouse have owned and operated in Northeast Portland.

Categories: Local News

Best Betting Sites in India Ranked by Sports Promos for Indian Players, Odds, and More

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 13:00

Max Scherzer, Mark Canha power Mets past Phillies to complete sweep with 4-2 win

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:55

The Mets needed a sweep as badly as Mark Canha needed home runs. They got both of those this week in a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Canha powered the Mets past the Phillies for the second time in as many days with another two-run homer that helped the team defeat its NL East rivals 4-2 on Thursday afternoon at Citi Field. His timely hitting has been crucial for the Mets in the series and he’s been responsible for six of the Mets’ eight runs.

Right-hander Taijuan Walker made his Citi Field return and took the loss thanks to Canha’s shot in the bottom of the fourth. The Mets (30-27) were down 2-1 when the outfielder took a 3-1 fastball over the fence in left-center field. Walker left a 90 MPH fastball right out over the middle of the plate. It was a meatball of a pitch and Canha did what good hitters do with that kind of pitch, homering for the fifth time this season.

That inning was the end for Walker (4-3). His outing started with a tribute video on the Citi Field scoreboard and ended on a much less positive note.

The positive outing came from Max Scherzer. The first-inning woes continued when the Phillies (25-31) strung together two runs in the first inning. The Mets have been outscored 45-13 in the first frames of games this season and it has proven costly at times.

But Scherzer (5-2) had two easy innings and cruised from there, going seven innings total and giving the Mets six scoreless ones. The Mets’ ace has now turned in back-to-back seven-inning games and it’s easy to see just how significantly different the team is when starters go at least six innings: The Mets are 16-0 in games where their starting pitcher tosses six and 6-0 when one goes seven.

It seems insane to think that the Mets have only had a starter face the lineup three times through six times this season, but it’s been a strange year. Scherzer was replaced by Jeff Brigham in the eighth inning after giving up only two runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out nine.

Walker allowed three earned on two hits, walked three and struck out two. The Mets took one off left-hander Matt Strahm in the sixth to tack on an insurance run.

Brigham held the lead for left-hander Brooks Raley, who turned the ball over to Drew Smith for a one-out save, the second of his career and the season. The first pitch to Drew Ellis went right into the glove of Brandon Nimmo.

The trends are positive right now: The starters are continually going deep, the defense is solid and the Mets have now hit home runs in 15 straight games. Far too often this season, the team has taken big steps forward, only to take bigger steps back.

Now, the challenge for the Mets is to keep the momentum and build on it.

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Categories: Local News

Biden Trips and Falls at Air Force Commencement

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:42

The president was helped up and walked back to his seat after delivering a speech and handing out diplomas to graduates in Colorado Springs.

Categories: Local News

Yankees reinstate Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle from IL ahead of series vs. Dodgers

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:36

The Yankees are inching closer to full strength. The Bombers officially reinstated Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson and Tommy Kahnle off the injured list Thursday ahead of their three-game set at Dodger Stadium.

Stanton played in just 13 games this season before suffering a hamstring strain running into second base on a double against the Twins on April 15. The 33-year-old is slashing .269/.296/.558 with four homers and 11 RBI. Manager Aaron Boone said he plans to utilize Stanton in the outfield upon his return.

“I thought he looked really good moving around in the outfield yesterday,” Boone said on May 13. “He did a lot of defensive work out there… I would like to [continue playing him in the outfield]. I keep maintaining that when he’s able to do that, I think it’s better for him.”

Donaldson, however, returns with some uncertainty as the Bombers’ infield logjam is at full swing. The third baseman strained his hamstring on April 5 and has played in just five games this season. DJ LeMahieu has played the majority of the innings (319.1) at third base in his absence and Donaldson’s return means the Yanks again have three infielders for two spots (second and third base) with the two veterans and Gleyber Torres.

The 37-year-old is slashing .125/.176/.313 with one homer on the year. With LeMahieu struggling (.705 OPS) playing time could be the least of Donaldson’s worries should he produce at the plate.

Kahnle has yet to appear in a game in 2023. The right-hander inked a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Yanks this past offseason and has been on the injured list to this point with biceps tendinitis.

The 33-year-old was traded from the White Sox to the Yankees in 2017 and he remained in pinstripes through 2020. However, Tommy John surgery kept him off the field in 2021 and he returned last season to the team that he will be playing this coming weekend. Kahnle recorded a 2.84 ERA in 13 appearances for the Dodgers last season.

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Categories: Local News

Five-bedroom home sells for $2.5 million in Piedmont

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:30

311 Ramona Avenue – Google Street View

A 2,831-square-foot house built in 1916 has changed hands. The spacious historic property located in the 300 block of Ramona Avenue in Piedmont was sold on April 26, 2023, for $2,500,000, or $883 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 4,620-square-foot lot.

These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:

A 2,080-square-foot home on the 200 block of Ramona Avenue in Piedmont sold in October 2022, for $2,400,000, a price per square foot of $1,154. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
In June 2022, a 4,885-square-foot home on Dracena Avenue in Piedmont sold for $5,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,085. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.
On Bonita Avenue, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 1,766-square-foot home was sold for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $1,161. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Categories: Local News

Forget Nouns. Verbs Are Where the Action Is.

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:30

When learning a language, people typically focus on nouns and adjectives first. But verbs are the real key.

Categories: Local News

Ron DeSantis Snaps at a Reporter: ‘Are You Blind?’

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:26

The Florida governor, who has frequently clashed with the press, was asked about taking questions from voters on the presidential campaign trail.

Categories: Local News

Our (latest) radical idea for the Pac-12 football schedule: Play 10 conference games

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:25

The pursuit of a media rights agreement and decision on expansion are the most significant issues facing the Pac-12 but hardly the only unresolved matters with long-haul implications.

For instance, the football schedule for the 2024 season and beyond must be reconfigured without the Los Angeles schools but, potentially, with one or two new members.

What format works best for securing multiple bids for the expanded College Football Playoff? Should the Pac-12 return to divisions? Should it plow forward with nine conference games or drop to an eight-game model?

On that last topic, we believe there’s a third option.

The Pac-12 should seriously consider playing 10 conference games each season.

That would be a radical move, to be sure. No other major college league plays 10 intra-conference games. But the Pac-12 must think radically and act strategically as the sport undergoes unprecedented change on myriad levels, from the consumption habits of fans to the technology behind product delivery, from economic pressures facing athletic departments to the structure of the Power Five and CFP.

College football at the close of the 2020s and into the next decade will be nothing more than a fraternal twin to the current game. In every regard, including media rights, expansion and the football schedule, the conference must create a foundation that’s suited for the future.

The Hotline has never been shy about suggesting radical ideas for the football schedule. We first addressed the concept of a 10-game conference season in February, after Ohio State canceled a home-and-home series with Washington. Since then, we have given the issue deeper reflection and become convinced it merits serious exploration.

That said, the conference is likely months from any final decision on the schedule. The ongoing existential crisis requires clarity, of course, but so does the expanded playoff. To what degree will strength-of-schedule impact the selection process — not only in ranking the conference champions (for the six automatic bids) but also the candidates for the six at-large berths?

Swapping one of three non-conference games in favor of a 10th league matchup probably would improve the schedule quality but definitely would add to the total number of losses for the conference.

(Our hope is the CFP creates a process by which candidates are rewarded for playing challenging lineups, in part to spur schools to schedule marquee non-conference games.)

If the schedule strength carries the weight it should in the selection process, then a 10-game conference slate makes sense for the Pac-12 on numerous levels.

Of course, it would require expansion. You can’t play 10 conference games in a 10-team conference.

If the membership piece falls into place, any decision on the conference schedule would require a delicate balance:

— It must optimize for playoff bids.

— It must address the needs of athletic department budgets.

— It must consider the supply-side reality of a restructured Power Five.

That reality has become all too clear with Brigham Young.

In 2021, the Cougars were an Independent and played five games against the Pac-12.

In 2023, they are a member of the Big 12 and will play zero games against the Pac-12.

They were an ideal non-conference foe in many regards, providing a quality matchup without taxing travel demands.

In the complicated world of football scheduling, geography works against the Pac-12. Only two of the 10 major college conferences are based in the western third of the country. The Pac-12 simply doesn’t have as many easy, cheap, nearby options from the Group of Five; nor are there as many FCS schools in the region.

Meanwhile, the cost of game guarantees — the money paid to a visiting team outside the Power Five — is soaring. It’s not unusual for Group of Five teams to demand more than $1 million. The SEC and Big Ten have more teams in close proximity, and more money to spend, than the Pac-12.

But if a non-conference opponent is replaced by a league foe, the financial calculation changes. The host school keeps its gate receipts and doesn’t pay a guarantee, while the visitor covers its own travel.

Also in dwindling supply (or so it seems): The availability of high level non-conference games.

Faced with the reality of conference road games in Los Angeles and loath to make two trips to the West Coast in the same season, Ohio State bailed on the home-and-home series against Washington in 2024-25.

Others could follow Ohio State’s lead and limit the number of home-and-home series they schedule with schools in the Pacific Time Zone. (Yes, neutral site games in Atlanta, Arlington, Las Vegas and Los Angeles could be options for the Pac-12 in the next era, but those are limited in number.)

Adding a conference game would reduce the need for an A-level opponent each year.

Or it could replace a cupcake opponent and make the home schedule that much more appealing.

Either way, it would give the Pac-12 control over a greater percentage of the overall schedule — the schools are responsible for the non-conference games — and potentially place more teams in position for success.

The Pac-12 must get creative with the schedule to maximize revenue, audience and playoff access.

It should consider conference games on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.

It should consider non-conference matchups in November and league games on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

And depending on the playoff selection process, the Pac-12 must take a long, hard look at a 10-game conference schedule. In the sport’s next era, the place to be is outside the box.

*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.

Categories: Local News

Bipartisan bill to make Big Tech pay publishers for news advances despite Meta threat

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:21

A bipartisan California bill that would require big technology companies to pay publishers for news reports that help drive their profits passed the state Assembly, despite a threat this week from Facebook parent Meta that the law would spur it to remove news articles from its platforms.

The state Assembly voted 46-6 to pass AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, and co-authored by Assemblymen Bill Essayli, a Riverside Republican, and Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat representing Long Beach. It now heads to the state Senate.

“Free press is in our constitution, and it is at risk right now, that is what this bill is about,” Wicks told the Assembly. “Publishers deserve to be paid a journalism usage fee relative to how much their content is used on these platforms.”

Wicks introduced the bill following the December collapse in Congress of proposed federal legislation with similar goals. That bill, the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, was introduced by U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican.

AB 886, which was sponsored by the California News Publishers Association, to which the Bay Area News Group belongs, would set a binding arbitration process to determine a percentage of advertising revenue that internet platforms would pay news organizations for their articles. Australia and Canada have passed similar laws.

The bill is backed by a number of print and broadcast news organizations. But in addition to its chief targets — Alphabet’s Google and Meta’s Facebook — it is opposed by the ACLU of California, the California Chamber of Commerce, California Taxpayers Association, the Electronic Frontier Foundation and some online news organizations, including CalMatters.

On Wednesday, Meta in a statement said that “if the Journalism Preservation Act passes, we will be forced to remove news from Facebook and Instagram rather than pay into a slush fund that primarily benefits big out-of-state media companies under the guise of aiding California publishers.”

“The bill fails to recognize that publishers and broadcasters put their content on our platform themselves and that substantial consolidation in California’s local news industry came over 15 years ago, well before Facebook was widely used,” Meta’s statement continued. “It is disappointing that California lawmakers appear to be prioritizing the best interests of national and international media companies over their own constituents.”

Wicks said in response that “this threat from Meta is a scare tactic that they’ve tried to deploy, unsuccessfully, in every country that’s attempted this.”

“It’s egregious that one of the wealthiest companies in the world would rather silence journalists than face regulation,” Wicks said.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

Categories: Local News

Trump and Cuomo Agree on One Thing: DeSantis Mishandled Covid

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 12:02

The two combative men from Queens have often been antagonists, but now they both see an opening to attack the Florida governor over his pandemic leadership.

Categories: Local News

Drag Show at Nellis Air Force Base Is Canceled After Republican Criticism

N.Y. Times - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 11:56

After a drag show at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada was canceled, the Defense Department said that such events were “not a suitable use” of resources, despite a long history of drag entertainment in the military.

Categories: Local News

Baseball legend Steve Garvey considering US Senate bid in California, energizing beleaguered GOP

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 11:42

By MICHAEL R. BLOOD | AP Political Writer

LOS ANGELES — You’d have to go back a generation — to 1988 — to find the last time a Republican candidate won a U.S. Senate race in heavily Democratic California. This time, the party might get an MVP on the ballot.

Baseball legend Steve Garvey, who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, is meeting with voters and senior GOP officials as he weighs a potential 2024 Senate bid in a race that already has several prominent Democratic contenders in the field. He appeared at a recent fundraiser for Republican Rep. Michelle Steel in Orange County, where he signed baseballs and talked about his potential candidacy.

“He is seriously considering entering the race,” said veteran consultant Andy Gharakhani, who is advising Garvey.

The 74-year-old Garvey had an 18-year major league career. He was National League MVP in 1974 and retired from baseball in 1987.

Garvey has flirted with the possibility of entering politics before, including after his retirement from baseball, when he teased a possible U.S. Senate run but never became a candidate.

“I have been approached to run for office and am exploring that. No announcement is imminent,” Garvey said in a statement released by a Dodgers team spokesperson.

Garvey’s candidacy would reorder a growing field that already includes Democratic Reps. Katie Porter, Adam Schiff and Barbara Lee. The seat is held by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has announced she is not seeking another term.

Still, even with his celebrity sparkle, Garvey would enter the race as an underdog. Democrats hold every statewide office and dominate the legislative and congressional delegations. Republicans — who are outnumbered about 2-to-1 by Democratic voters in the state — have struggled for years to find candidates for top offices.

In the state’s last two U.S. Senate races, GOP candidates performed so poorly in the primary elections that only Democrats advanced to the November ballot. Garvey’s candidacy could give the GOP a chance to make the November election, potentially lifting party turnout and also helping down-ballot GOP candidates.

“I think Steve Garvey would be one of the most interesting and dynamic candidates for a statewide office Republicans have had in decades,” said Republican National Committeeman Shawn Steel, who is married to the congresswoman.

“He’s good on the stump … and he reminds me of a Reagan-esque approach,” Steel added, referring to former Republican President Ronald Reagan, another Californian.

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AP Writer Beth Harris contributed.

Categories: Local News

Can the Celtics make history after forcing a do-or-die Game 7 against the Heat?

San Jose Mercury - Thu, 06/01/2023 - 11:41

History has already been made. The Boston Celtics just have to make it one more time.

A week ago, the Miami Heat were destined for a trip to the NBA Finals. They were alleged world-beaters who hadn’t only dismissed Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks in five first-round games, but were on pace to do the same to the Celtics by taking a commanding 3-0 Eastern Conference Finals series lead.

Now, in the blink of an eye, the series is even. There will be a Game 7 — in Boston of all places — and now it’s the Celtics who once again look like Goliaths compared to a Heat team devoid of the confidence it once exuded.

Only four teams in NBA history have ever come back from down 0-3 to force a Game 7: The Rochester Royals did it to the Knicks back in 1951; the Denver Nuggets came back to force Game 7 against the Utah Jazz in 1994; the Portland Trail Blazers stunned Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Mavericks to force Game 7 after trailing 0-3 in the first round in 2003.

And now, there are these Celtics, who aim to be the first team ever to complete the series comeback, as each of their three predecessors lost in Game 7.

“I’m excited that we just gave ourselves another chance,” said All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who missed all eight of his three-point attempts but made all 15 of his free throws and finished with 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists on the night. “We didn’t play well. The first three games we didn’t deserve to win, and we really took it one game at a time. The series isn’t over. We still have a big game Monday, but the grit that we showed to get to this moment, I’m proud of that. I’m proud to be on this team, and I’ve never been this excited to go back to Boston in my life.”

The way it happened was almost poetic. After all, the Heat appeared to have sealed the deal with mere seconds left on the game clock.

Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler drew a foul on Celtics center Al Horford while shooting a corner three. It was the third straight time Butler had forced his way to the line — his bread and butter — down the stretch, and he made all three free throws to give Miami a one-point lead with just three ticks left in regulation.

During the timeout that followed, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla designed a pin-down screen for Tatum to get a clean look at a game-winner.

But the Heat took that away.

Instead, the ball went to Marcus Smart, who took a fading, contested three-pointer that barely rimmed out. While Smart’s jumper was in the air, new Celtics starter Derrick White crashed from the left corner to the rim. He beat every other player on the floor to the rebound and tipped the ball off the glass and through the net, beating the final buzzer — and the Heat — on the same play.

“Ooooh-weeee. Oh my God. That was incredible. Man,” Tatum said. “We drew up a play. They kinda took that away. We just crashed the glass and everything was like a blur after that. D-White tipped it in, but that felt like the longest 10 seconds ever waiting for confirmation if he made it or not.

“I’m still in disbelief. That sh— was crazy.”

The Heat have been here before. At least in theory.

Just last season they lost to the Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston advanced to the NBA Finals and lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

“You’re gonna get the same test until you pass it. We were in the same position last year, and we can do it,” Butler said after Game 6. The Heat star had a night to forget: Despite marching to the line down the stretch and putting his team in position to win, Butler still shot just 5-of-21 from the field for his 24 points.

In fact, it’s been a poor stretch of games for the same player who averaged 37 points in the first round against Milwaukee. He has had poor games — or poor stretches during critical moments — in each of Boston’s three wins.

“I told the guys in the locker room that if I play better, we’re not even in this position, honestly speaking, and I will be better,” he said. “And that’s what makes me smile because those guys follow my lead, so when I’m playing better. I think we’re playing better as a whole.”

History is on Miami’s side. This is as far as any team has ever come after trailing a playoff series, 0-3. Most teams in that predicament don’t make it this far. The Celtics are proving they aren’t most teams.

But are they a one-of-one? Can they win a fourth straight game against the same Heat team that won the first three games of this series?

History might be on the Heat’s side, but all the momentum in the world is with Boston.

“We all talked about it. We’re all aware. It’s not time to celebrate. We didn’t accomplish anything,” said Tatum. “We won a game, a big game that we had to win in an incredible fashion. We’re proud of the way we played, proud of the way we figured it out, but the job is far from finished.

“We’ve got to be ready on Monday. It’s not over.”

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