(My Sportsbook) - It appears there's no validity to the "Curse of Vin Baker" theory.

Boston opened the season with a home loss to the Chicago Bulls and followed that with their worst defeat in franchise history, a 45-point setback in Washington.

The Celtics' offseason had been marked by some controversial personnel moves, most notably the acquisition of Baker. Therefore, the slow start was blamed on the disruption of last season's team chemistry.

But the Celtics have responded with three straight victories, capped off by a 98-95 overtime victory over their storied rivals -- the Los Angeles Lakers -- at the FleetCenter Thursday.

"Right now, we're just trying to build a winning streak," said Antoine Walker. "We were very upset at ourselves for starting 0-2. We're finding ways to win games. We've started building character."

Walker had just 13 points on 6-of-17 points, but contributed in other ways, collecting nine rebounds and eight assists. He also sank a four-footer with 35 seconds to go in regulation to knot the game at 89-89 and send it into OT.

Paul Pierce and Tony Delk handled the scoring load for Boston. Pierce led the team with 28 points, and his go-ahead three-pointer with 1:54 left in the extra session snapped a 93-93 tie. Delk, making Boston fans forget about the overrated value of Kenny Anderson, poured in 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, overrated value of Kenny Anderson, poured in 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three-point range.

It wasn't all positive for the Celtics.

Boston led by as many as 17 points in the opening half and held a 15-point cushion at the break. The Lakers then outscored the Celtics 36-17 in the third quarter and led 71-67 heading into the fourth. However, the Celtics never folded and rallied for the big win.

"[The win] says a lot, especially this early in the season," said Pierce. "We're starting to develop our identity. We've still got a ways to go, but I thought we showed great toughness."

The Celtics didn't have to face the sidelined Shaquille O'Neal Thursday, but had to deal with the explosive Kobe Bryant, who put up a career-high 47 field goal attempts, making 17, and finished with 41 points.

Still, the Celtics held to the Lakers to 39 percent shooting from the field. The game before, the Bulls shot just 30 percent against Boston.

The Celtics may be recognized as a run-and-gun team, but the squad realizes its success is predicated on its defense.