BOSTON -- Doc Rivers wanted to change things up, so he looked to the paint and swapped out his starting center.
On Wednesday, Rivers shifted Kevin Garnett to the power forward spot and inserted Jason Collins at the five in the starting rotation. The Celtics were going for size against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which in this case left forward-center Chris Wilcox as the odd man out. He was a DNP (coach's decision) while Collins played 23 minutes, Garnett played 31, and power forwards Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger played 27 and 15 minutes, respectively, off the bench.
At the end of the game, Wilcox was more concerned with the end result. The Celtics snapped their three-game skid with a 103-91 victory over the Cavaliers.
"We went with JC tonight," Wilcox said of Collins. "JC, he had a great game. Sully, B. Bass did too. We won, so he (Doc Rivers) doesn't have to say anything to me."
Wilcox is averaging 4.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13 minutes per game after undergoing season-ending heart surgery last March. He also fought through back spasms this fall, determined to return to Celtics and contribute to their front court.
The 30-year-old big man picked up where he left off last season with Rajon Rondo as a duo who could run the fast break together, often the recipient of Rondo's alley oops. He understands his style may not be what the Celtics are planning for every game.
"We all bring different things to the table," Wilcox said of the Celtics bigs. "Doc said he's changing things up, he wants to see some different things, so that's what it was.I'm a more running-the-floor-type player. Sully and B. Bass are more like pop players. It's different views out there when I'm on the court and when they're on the court, but at the same time, we all bring something different to the team. Tonight we might need this and tomorrow we might need something else. We just take it one day at a time. We've just got to feed off this win we got tonight."
Wilcox sat at his locker and laughed with neighboring Jason Terry, Jeff Green, and Brandon Bass after the game. The win over the Cavaliers was about the team, and Wilcox will stay focused for the next one.
"You've got always stay ready so you then you don't have to get ready," he said. "Things will work out."