With Lakers in town, it will be a crazy night in Boston

FROM BOSTON — From the ashes of embarrassment, there arose the scowling face of rage.

From the depths of humiliation, there sounded the thick beat of a heart.

Eight months later, the Lakers finally punched back.

"Sometimes you've just got to make a stand," said Lamar Odom, his expression still tight an hour after this brawl. "Tonight, we made a stand."

They stood with elbows crashing and shoulders plowing. They stood amid cascading boos and chanted jeers.

They stood for four quarters in the home of the defending NBA champions and then, when that wasn't enough, they stood some more, hit some more, hurt some more.

In the end Thursday, it wasn't how they were standing, but where they were standing: on the parquet necks of the Boston Celtics, whom the Lakers defeated in overtime, 110-109, in a game that doubled as a billboard.

"Lots of teams think that without Andrew Bynum, we're soft," said Odom. "Tonight we showed everyone that we are not."

It was more than a night that gave the Lakers, for now, the best record in basketball over the Celtics.

It was more than a night that ensured the Lakers will have the postseason home-court tiebreaker against Boston by virtue of winning both games against the Celtics this season.

It was even more than a bit of vengeful comfort after the 39-point loss suffered by the Lakers the last time they were here, in the clinching game of last year's NBA Finals.

"This was not a statement to anybody else, this was a statement to us," said Kobe Bryant.

That statement was, whatever Eastern muscle the Lakers might encounter in the postseason, even without Bynum, they are no longer afraid to stick their necks in it.

Thursday night was different, which means this year is different.

"Last year they took it from us, and I'm not going to live with that," said Bryant. "I'm not going to sit here and let this team get punked any more."

Last summer at this same TD Banknorth Garden, this same team cowered against the Celtics.

This year, on the very first play, Odom drove the lane, collided with Rajon Rondo, drew a foul, screamed.

"We had to make our mark right away," he said.

So it continued, the mark being made on the Celtics' bodies, Pau Gasol grappling with Kendrick Perkins, Bryant hanging on Rondo, Odom charging again and again into Kevin Garnett.

"It was an ugly game, a grinding game," said Bryant, smiling.