Miles pushes himself - with positive results

NEWPORT, R.I. - Darius Miles made a breakthrough yesterday, practicing for the fourth successive day for the first time since undergoing microsurgery on his right knee two years ago. If Miles continues to progress, he could play a major part in the Celtics' eight-game exhibition schedule.

"Before practice, [Miles] was thinking about shutting it down for a day, but he was encouraged to practice and I thought he had maybe his best practice so far," said coach Doc Rivers.

Miles, who turns 27 Thursday, the day after the Celtics play Philadelphia in Amherst, Mass., in their exhibition opener, has not played a regular-season game since 2006 with Portland. He will be suspended for the first 10 games of the regular season after violating the league's drug policy at the end of last season.

"I usually go two or three hard days and take a day off, just to be real cautious with the knee," Miles said. "I wanted to practice every day, if I can. I don't want to miss learning anything. This is my first time playing four days in a row and I felt good. I just kept trying to stretch it and stay loose. I felt better than I did [Thursday]."

Miles was going full speed late in yesterday's 2 1/2-hour practice, missing a dunk off the back of the rim in a half-court set, then stuffing on a spectacular fast break. Miles has mostly been used at power forward, often matching up against Glen Davis.

"I just have to learn the plays and what I'm capable of doing, pick my spots to help the team out," Miles said. "I don't think I hit the wall in the first practice. When you first come to a team, you don't know what to expect, even though I'm a veteran player. This is the first team I've been on where, after you run plays, you get back to the other end, you sprint to the other end. Once I got used to the routine, I felt better and better.

"I'm used to being on teams where they have four or five straight two-a-days and they run you into the ground and you are crying for a day off. My first couple years in Portland, Nate [ McMillan] didn't give us a day off until December. I'm thanking Doc for this."

Rivers called off the team's evening practices Wednesday, Thursday, and yesterday; the Celtics had two sessions Tuesday at Salve Regina University.

Wanted: leading man

Tony Allen and Miles have the most experience among the Celtics' top reserves. Rivers said he is waiting for a leader to emerge in the second unit following James Posey's free agent departure to New Orleans. "We'll develop that," Rivers said. "Posey showed the importance of a role player, what his significance to the team could be. He kept the second unit intact. There were times when we had the entire second unit on the floor and extended leads, and we have to work back to that. But I've never named a captain in my coaching career, never named a leader, because it doesn't matter who I name, it's up to the players. We'll have to wait and see who that person is [for the second unit]." . . . A 3-pointer by Brian Scalabrine concluded yesterday's workout, tying the score for a team of mostly starters coached by Rivers, playing against reserves guided by assistant coach Tom Thibodeau. "The ending was perfect because we had a lot of end-of-the-game situations that can happen," Rivers said. "We drew it up for Scal. It's amazing what great players do. Ray [ Allen] calls the entire play, he says everyone will go with Ray and Scal will be open to shoot it. It's easier when you just have to shoot it." . . . Add Robbie Findley to guard Eddie House's extended family of professional athletes. Findley, a forward with Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, which plays the Revolution tonight at Gillette Stadium, was an alternate on the United States Olympic team and has also been recruited by Trinidad and Tobago's national team. Findley is a cousin of House's wife, Charlsie. House's brother-in-law is Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby . . . Rookie guard J.R. Giddens's impressions of Paul Pierce: "He's vicious. He's like guarding a video game in person."

Take a walk

Led by Ray Allen's wife, Shannon, the "Walk For Walker" will take place today at 9:30 a.m. at the Esplanade. While Allen isn't expected to be there because of training camp obligations, Shannon Allen and the Celtics Women's Group will be in attendance to help raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The couple's son, Walker, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when the Celtics were in Los Angeles last June for the Finals. All walkers can preregister at www.jdrf.org (enter team name: Walk for Walker).

"The most important thing that Ray and I would like to do is raise the level of awareness about the warning signs for Type 1," Shannon Allen wrote in an e-mail. "Children in our son Walker's age group [20 months and younger] are becoming affected by diabetes at epidemic proportions, and scarily 30-40 percent of the time they go undiagnosed because the warning signs are identical to the flu. Lethargy, excessive hunger and thirst, frequent urination, and weight loss are all classic signs of a child living with diabetes, and the real hard truth is that we were blessed that the doctors even recognized the signs and were able to administer life-saving measures to our baby."

Marc J. Spears of the Globe staff contributed to this report.