Doc ‘likes' week off before season

WALTHAM, Mass. - Having more than a week to get ready for their season opener at Miami is for the most part a good thing for the Boston Celtics.
"I like it," Celtics coach Doc Rivers told reporters following the team's practice on Thursday. "I'd rather have this than playing on Friday, I'll say that."
Boston closed out its preseason schedule with a home loss to Philadelphia on Sunday with their regular season opener against the Heat on Oct. 30.
But with so much time in between games, Rivers acknowledges one of the challenges the C's face will be keeping themselves sharp enough to play well.
"That's gotta be tough," Rivers added. "To have this much time off and then play a game ... that's not an easy thing. You'd rather have some games around the corner, but we don't."
But don't confuse Rivers' comments as him grumbling about the extended time off which he has referred to as a "second training camp."
"I still would rather have this, for the season," Rivers said. "For one game, I'd take having a game on Friday. But for the whole season, I like this week."
The extra time without games also affords a number of Celtics time to heal some of those preseason aches and pains.
Celtics center Darko Milicic suffered a right wrist injury during the preseason. The injury kept him out of four of Boston's eight preseason games.
It is not totally healed, but it should not prevent him from being available at the start of the season which is what he feared the most with the injury.
"I want to be ready when the season starts," Milicic told CSNNE.com in a recent interview. "I'll be ready."
Following Thursday's practice, Milicic said the wrist -- which was taped up -- was "feeling great."
Another Celtic on the mend this week is Chris Wilcox, who suffered a back injury shortly before the Celtics left for Istanbul, Turkey. He did not play in any of Boston's  eight preseason games.
"We out here grinding, getting ready for the year and I couldn't be part of it," Wilcox told reporters following his return to practice on Wednesday. "(Wednesday) was a great challenge for me. I went up there and worked hard. I didn't expect too much (on the first day back), but I think I did we'll."