Rivers said Milicic sat for the entire second half because of New York's small lineups.
Boston Celtics' Darko Milicic, of Serbia, poses during Celtics NBA basketball media day at the team's training facility in Waltham, Mass., Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. More Celtics news
Doc Rivers likes improved offense
Rivers said the Celtics offense will bail the team out on some nights. It wasn't like that last year.
HARTFORD -- Boston Celtics center Darko Milicic didn't play in the second half of a 98-95 preseason loss to the New York Knicks Saturday night, but Doc Rivers said it had more to do with New York's decimated front court than anything else.
"I thought Darko played well in the first half, it was just one of those small-ball games, you knew it was going to be that," Rivers said.
Milicic was Boston's first big man off the bench in the first half, registering three points, two rebounds and one block in seven minutes. But as the Knicks went with a small frontcourt after halftime (with Marcus Camby, Amare Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace out, Steve Novak saw extended action at power forward), Milicic sat stapled to the Boston bench.
His absence of playing time after intermission could be indicative of how the Celtics want to use him -- he'll help against team's with legitimate size, but might not see as much action against smaller, quicker frontcourts.
Other minor notes from Boston's loss:
-- Jared Sullinger saw action at center, a position where Rivers has been skeptical of using the rookie. By the time Sullinger manned the middle, the Celtics starters were on the bench and the Knicks were employing a small lineup featuring Novak at power forward and 28-year old rookie Chris Copeland at center. Rivers might have been experimenting with Sullinger, or maybe the move was merely a result of the NBA preseason.
-- Training camp invite Micah Downs scored five points and added seven rebounds in 14 minutes. Though he missed both of his 3-pointers, the 6-foot-8 small forward out of Gonzaga was pleased with making an impact, especially with his rebounding.
"That's just something I can try to bring to the table," he said, according to ESPN Boston. "If I'm out there on the court and I'm not getting my shot, I'm not getting offensive looks, I'm going to try to go get the ball, help our team one way or the other. Whatever I can do. My size, my athleticism, I think I can help out at that position when Paul [Pierce is] not in the game or when Jeff [Green is] not in the game, or if we're playing smaller and I'm playing at the four. Just trying to do everything I can to stick."
-- The Celtics' second unit last season was filled with defensive-minded players. Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus, Greg Stiemsma and Ryan Hollins all made their mark on the gritty side of the court. This year, Danny Ainge improved the offensive talent on the bench, but the Celtics have several pieces not necessarily known for their defense.
Asked before the game whether that worries him, Rivers replied, "I'm always worried about our whole team defensively. We'll be ready. We're definitely a better offensive team, there's no doubt about that. But we have to continue to be a great defensive team. If we can be who we've been defensively and score with our second unit, that makes us a better basketball team."