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Awful memories are just those…awful memories. The Los Angeles Lakers are doing their best to forget all those awful moments of the past while of playing in the Boston Garden.

With 7.3 seconds left in the game, Kobe Bryant sank the go-ahead basket, and the Lakers won 90-89 on Sunday for their third consecutive victory over the struggling Celtics. The Celtics have not been able to make good on the traditional “Beat L.A.!” chant since winning 131-92 to clinch the 2008 NBA championship here in Game 6 of the finals.

“They smacked us two years ago,” said Lakers forward Lamar Odom “It was a big game for us. This is a team that’s going to be battling to be coming out of the East.”

With 32 NBA titles between them—including the last two—the Lakers and Celtics have met in the finals 11 times, from Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor, to Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson and on to the current matchup of Bryant facing the New Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

The Lakers’ superstar came through in the stretch for them, while Boston’s couldn’t.

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics led by as many as 11 points and nursed a one-point lead until Pierce was called for an offensive foul for pushing off as he jumped to shoot with 28 seconds left.

“At that point, I think it’s got to be unbelievable, but I didn’t see it so I really can’t give an opinion on it,” said coach Doc Rivers for Boston “You know, I do know Kobe pushes off a lot.”

After Friday night’s win in Philadelphia, Bryant complained of a stiff ankle, and it seemed to bother him during the game. Bryant shot just 8 for 20 but made the big one: making a move toward the basket before stepping back from Allen’s defense and swishing the ball through the net to give Los Angeles its only lead of the second half.

“He had a couple of looks before that that were good looks, and he didn’t put them in. We were mystified by that,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. Jackson tied Pat Riley atop the franchise coaching list with his 533rd win in Los Angeles. “He told me the next one was going to go in, so we went with him.”

Kobe Bryant finished with 19, Andrew Bynum had 11 rebounds and 19 points,, and Pau Gasol had 11 points and 11 boards for the Lakers, who won their fourth consecutive game.

“I didn’t say give me one more chance. I said give me the damn ball,” said Bryant “I never really give him much of a choice.”

Rajon Rondo had 12 assists and  21 points for the Celtics, who have lost six of their last eight games.

Garnett had 10 with nine rebounds, Pierce scored 15, and Kendrick Perkins finished with eight points and 10 boards for the Celtics, who were coming off losses to Orlando and Atlanta, which are two of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference—that left them at 6-10 since beating the Magic on Christmas Day.

“It’s nothing to be happy about, I’ll tell you that,” said Garnett “We haven’t been producing wins, but we’re a hardworking group.”

With a hyperextended right knee, Garnett missed 10 of those games and Boston was 4-6 without him. But Garnett’s return hasn’t solved all the Celtics’ problems.

Before the Lakers made the next four baskets, the Celtics led 81-70. Rasheed Wallace hit a 3-pointer—his only basket of the game—to stop the run. It was still a three-point game with less than two minutes left when Bryant hit a pair of free throws to make it 87-86.

Allen hit a pair of free throws, and then Ron Artest sank a runner in the lane to make it 89-88. The Celtics got the ball to Pierce, who unfortunately made a little too much space for himself, negating the basket.

“I thought I made a good move. I got to my sweet spot,” said Pierce. “I guess the ref saw it differently and he made the call. That’s part of the game. That’s why you have referees.”

Allen’s 3-point attempt at the final buzzer bounced right off the rim.

“Ten times out of 10 times, when you have Ray open like that I’m going to give him the ball,” said Pierce “He got a good look at it. Sometimes it falls; sometimes it doesn’t.”

In the first quarter, the Celtics fell behind 22-10. Bynum scored 12 points, and trailed 40-34 midway through the second before scoring the next 15 points. By halftime, Rondo had nine points and eight assists in the quarter and was in double digits in both.

Now Boston can remember the good memories!