The Celtics have reached the non-glamorous portion of their schedule, but the games with the Bucks cont just the same as their network showdowns with the Lakers, Heat and Magic. With 21 games left, the Celtics have two goals: Integrate their new players into something that resembles a workable rotation and try to get the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Winning road games against teams like Milwaukee — who play good defense and make you grind it out — and with only nine players is what great NBA teams do. The Celtics escaped with an 89-83 victory thanks to clutch play from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and took another step toward achieving their season-long goal.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Paul Pierce comes up big: With Rajon Rondo (eight turnovers) and Ray Allen both struggling, Pierce picked up the slack and scored 23 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. Pierce was the best player on the floor for the Celtics.

Kevin Garnett, clutch defensively: With time running out and the Celtics clinging to a three-point lead, Garnett stopped the Bucks dead with a huge blocked shot. On the previous possession, Garnett knocked down a 15 foot jumper that gave the Celtics a four-point lead.

Nenad Krstic in the low post: The Celtics knew what they were getting when the traded for Krstic — a dependable 7-footer with decent shooting range. But what they didn’t know is that he also has a very good back to the basket game. That’s because the Thunder just didn’t have any use for it. But Krstic is not only a good shooter — he made his first six shots — he’s a solid passer. The Celtics have been looking for a low-post presence for years and while Krstic lacks the brute force of Shaquille O’Neal, he is capable of providing offense.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Injury delay for Shaq: A few days have stretched into a few weeks and now we are working on a few months before Shaquille O’Neal returns to the team. Doc Rivers told reporters in Milwaukee that Shaq would probably not return against the Clippers on Wednesday as planned and his return date is still anyone’s guess. It’s beginning to look like it might be a race between Shaq and Jermaine to see which O’Neal will get back on the court first.

Offensive rebounds and turnovers: The Celtics old problems didn’t go away with their new cast of characters. The Bucks destroyed them on the glass for the first half with 10 offensive rebounds and the Celtics hurt their own cause with 17 turnovers (eight by Rondo).

Bench issues: With Carlos Arroyo on his way to Boston and the O’Neals, Delonte West, Von Wafer and Glen Davis all out with injuries, the Celtics had just nine players and their second unit consisted of Avery Bradley and three guys who have been with the team for about 10 days. While Jeff Green continues to find his way, Troy Murphy still has not made a shot and Sasha Pavlovic threw up an airball on his first attempt. The bench played better in the second half, maintaining a slim lead before turning it back over to the starters.