BOSTON (AP) Doc Rivers made his way down the hallway that goes past the locker rooms at the TD Garden, stopping every few feet to shake hands or give a hug to another old friend.

He had just gotten to the concourse where a gaggle of about 40 reporters was waiting for him when a fan yelled out, "Love you, Doc!"

The coach who led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship returned to Boston on Wednesday night for the first time since taking over the Los Angeles Clippers, and the fans welcomed him back without any bitterness over his departure. Rivers received a spontaneous cheer when he walked out onto the court during warm-ups, a bigger one when he was introduced before the opening tip and another after a video between the first two periods.

"Coming to this building from the other side is surreal," Rivers told reporters before the game, listing a few of the people he was happy to see again. "For nine years, they were my family. ... It's going to be emotional in that building."

Rivers took over a team that was on its way to the bottom, losing a franchise-record 18 games in a row in his third season while trying to position itself for the lottery. But that summer, despite drawing the No. 5 pick in the draft, general manager Danny Ainge acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, teaming them with Paul Pierce in a New Big Three that won the NBA title in their first year together.

The Celtics returned to the NBA Finals two years later, but then Allen left for Miami and with Pierce and Garnett getting older Ainge decided it was time to start over. Rivers was traded to the Clippers for a 2015 first-round draft choice, and the two remaining stars were sent to the Brooklyn Nets for a package of players and picks.

"It would have been real hard to go through the whole re-build thing again," Rivers said. "I was thinking at the time it was time to go. It was just time."

If there were any hard feelings, they weren't visible at Wednesday night's game, which the Clippers won 96-88.

"I was basically useless for the first 18 minutes of the game, I thought," an emotional Rivers said after the game. "It was nice. It didn't surprise me. You've got to live here to understand that. (It is) an amazing fan base, it really is. And I just want everything to go well for them."

Rivers waved to acknowledge the cheering fans during warm-ups, and walked toward the Celtics bench to greet a few familiar faces at the scoring table. Between the first and second periods, a video was shown on the scoreboard that showed clips of him facing Ainge as players, posing with Red Auerbach and getting drenched with orange Gatorade after winning the 2008 championship.

It ended with the words, "Thank you, Doc!"

Many of the Clippers applauded, as did the Celtics assistant coaches and training staff and the few players, including Jeff Green, who played for Rivers.

"I'm an emotional guy," Rivers said beforehand. "I just hope I can coach tonight."

The game wraps up a reunion week of sorts for both Rivers and the Celtics. On Tuesday night, the Celtics played the Nets in Brooklyn and faced Pierce and Garnett for the first time; Rivers' Clippers face the Nets on Thursday night.

Asked which was harder, Rivers said, "Oh, it's harder coming back here."

"Playing against them, I see two guys that I love in a Brooklyn uniform," he said. "Coming back here, that's special to me. I get to walk under a banner that I helped get and see the fans and a lot of my friends. This day and half has been a lot of fun, but it's also been emotional, too."

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Stephen Curry made a pull-up jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining to cap a sensational fourth quarter, rallying the Golden State Warriors from 18 points down to beat the Dallas Mavericks 95-93 on Wednesday night.

Curry scored 16 of his 33 points in the final period. He finished with nine assists, four rebounds and another big shot in a young career already full of them.

With the clock winding down, Curry dribbled on the perimeter, came off a screen and faked a shot to send Shawn Marion jumping past him. Curry then made a 19-footer to give Golden State the lead for good.

Jose Calderon heaved a desperation shot at the buzzer that was never close.

STORRS, Conn. (AP) Connecticut has hired Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco as its football coach.

The school announced the move early Thursday morning and said it would hold an afternoon news conference to introduce Diaco.

The 40-year-old Diaco takes over a team that went 3-9 this season. UConn fired Paul Pasqualoni after an 0-4 start and a 10-18 record in just more than two years at the school.

Notre Dame finished 8-4 this season

Diaco, who spent four seasons at Notre Dame, won the 2012 Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach, becoming the first Fighting Irish assistant to receive the honor.

Earlier on Wednesday, Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, the 2013 Broyles winner, said he had withdrawn from consideration.

Diaco, from Cedar Grove, N.J., was the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Virginia. He spent the 2009 season as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator before moving to Notre Dame with head coach Brian Kelly.

Diaco is a 1995 Iowa graduate who began his coaching career in 1996-97 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. He also served on the staffs at Western Illinois (1999-2000), Eastern Michigan (2001-2003) and Central Michigan (2005).

His 2012 Irish defense ranked second in major college football in scoring defense, allowing just under 13 points per game, and gave up only 15 offensive touchdowns.

Connecticut athletic director Warde Manuel began face-to-face interviews for the job Sunday, a day after UConn completed its season by routing Memphis 45-10, the Huskies' third consecutive win.

Interim coach T.J. Weist, who led the team to a 3-5 record after taking over for Pasqualoni, had made it clear he hoped to remain in the position.

But Manuel said the job had attracted an impressive pool of candidates. In addition to Diaco and Narduzzi, Ball State head coach Pete Lembo and Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster also were linked to the position.

Manuel said he received input from important boosters and 25 former UConn players in narrowing down the finalists. He also said Saturday that money would not be an impediment to hiring a new coach.

Terms of the deal with Diaco were not immediately released. CBS, which first reported the hiring Thursday, said Diaco would receive a five-year deal worth about $1.5 million per year.

Manuel, a former Michigan defensive end, also noted that while 27 of 31 open jobs a year ago went to coaches with experience on the offensive side of the ball, he had no such bias.

"I'm equal opportunity," he joked. "With the exception of special teams coordinator. No offense to special teams coordinators."

Manuel also said the new coach will be allowed to choose his own staff, but as athletic director, he would have veto power over those choices.

He also said that while he will have some patience with the new coach, the job comes with expectations.

"This is being done so we can start winning next year, not four years from now," he said.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) During his 13-year career as an All-Star catcher, Mike Scioscia earned a reputation for being as tough as anyone when it came to blocking home plate.

But in a sport filled with nostalgia, even Scioscia wouldn't mind seeing a few modifications.

"I think everyone is in agreement that the mindless collisions at home plate where a catcher is being targeted by a runner, that needs to be addressed," the Los Angeles Angels manager said.

"When I was growing up as a kid in Philadelphia, it was a badge of honor. You were expected to hang in at the plate, and the runner was expected to do everything he could to tag the plate. We're going back 40 years ago, but the mindset has changed a bit."

Major League Baseball said Wednesday it intends to eliminate home plate collisions by 2015 at the latest.

Not everyone is pleased.

Pete Rose, who famously flattened Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 1970 All-Star game, was bowled over.

"What are they going to do next, you can't break up a double play?" Rose said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press after MLB announced its plan Wednesday.

"You're not allowed to pitch inside. The hitters wear more armor than the Humvees in Afghanistan. Now you're not allowed to try to be safe at home plate?" Rose said. "What's the game coming to? Evidently the guys making all these rules never played the game of baseball."

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, chairman of the rules committee, made the announcement at the winter meetings, saying the change would go into effect for next season if the players' association approved. Safety and concern over concussions were major factors - fans still cringe at the thought of the season-ending hit Buster Posey absorbed in 2011.

"Ultimately what we want to do is change the culture of acceptance that these plays are ordinary and routine and an accepted part of the game," Alderson said. "The costs associated in terms of health and injury just no longer warrant the status quo."

The NFL reached a settlement last summer in a concussion-related lawsuit by former players for $765 million, and a group of hockey players sued the NHL last month over brain trauma.

Banned for life in 1989 following a gambling investigation, Rose insists Fosse was blocking the plate without the ball, which is against the rules. Fosse injured a shoulder, and his career went into a downslide.

"Since 1869, baseball has been doing pretty well," Rose said. "The only rules they ever changed was the mound (height) and the DH. I thought baseball was doing pretty good. Maybe I'm wrong about the attendance figures and the number of people going to ballgames."

Alderson said wording of the rules change will be presented to owners for approval at their Jan. 16 meeting in Paradise Valley, Ariz. Details must be sorted out, such as what should happen if a catcher blocks the plate without the ball.

"The exact language and how exactly the rule will be enforced is subject to final determination," he said. "We're going to do fairly extensive review of the types of plays that occur at home plate to determine which we're going to find acceptable and which are going to be prohibited."

Approval of the players' union is needed for the rules change to be effective for 2014.

"If the players' association were to disapprove, then the implementation of the rule would be suspended for one year, but could be implemented unilaterally after that time," Alderson said.

The union declined to comment, pending a review of the proposed change. Some players spoke up on Twitter.

"No more home plate collisions?! What is this? NFL quarterbacks are catchers now?" Oakland outfielder Josh Reddick wrote.

"Nothing better than getting run over and showing the umpire the ball. Please don't ban home plate collisions," Pittsburgh rookie catcher Tony Sanchez posted.

Discussion to limit or ban collisions has intensified since May 2011, when Posey was injured as the Marlins' Scott Cousins crashed into him at the plate. Posey, San Francisco's All-Star catcher, sustained a broken bone in his lower left leg and three torn ligaments in his ankle, an injury that ended his season.

Posey returned to win the NL batting title and MVP award in 2012, when he led the Giants to their second World Series title in three seasons.

In Game 5 of this year's AL championship series, Detroit backstop Alex Avila was pulled a couple of innings after being run over at the plate by Boston's David Ross, a fellow catcher.

"This is, I think, in response to a few issues that have arisen," Alderson said. "One is just the general occurrence of injuries from these incidents at home plate that affect players, both runners and catchers. And also kind of the general concern about concussions that exists not only in baseball but throughout professional sports and amateur sports today."

Former catchers Joe Girardi, Bruce Bochy and Mike Matheny - all now managing in the majors - attended Wednesday's meeting.

"I don't think it's completely sparked by anything that's happened in baseball as much as what's happening outside of baseball and how it's impacting people and impacting the welfare of each sport," said Matheny, now managing the St. Louis Cardinals.

MLB intends to have varied tiers of punishment.

"I think there will be two levels of enforcement," Alderson said. "One will be with respect to whether the runner is declared safe or out based on conduct. So, for example, intentionally running over the catcher might result in an out call. So I think that the enforcement will be on the field as well as subsequent consequences in the form of fines and suspensions and the like."

The NCAA instituted a rule on collisions for the 2011 season, saying "contact above the waist that was initiated by the base runner shall not be judged as an attempt to reach the base or plate." The umpire can call the runner out and also eject the player if contact is determined to be malicious or flagrant.

Drafting the big league rule figures to be complicated.

"Does it include at every base or just home plate?" Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said.

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AP Sports Writer Howie Rumberg contributed to this report.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Matt Kemp's agent said the Los Angeles Dodgers are not trading the All-Star outfielder.

Dave Stewart spoke Wednesday with Los Angeles general manager Ned Colletti at baseball's winter meetings, and walked away feeling confident the Dodgers wouldn't move his Kemp.

Rumors have circulated this week that the Dodgers are listening to offers for Kemp, who is heading into the third year of an eight-year, $160 million contract.

"For the time being they are not going to move him," Stewart said. "He didn't even say that. I put in the words `for the time being' because you never know. Somebody could come along and overwhelm them with a player or players or a combination of players that would make it worth their while."

Stewart said Kemp, who is coming off left ankle and left shoulder surgery, is right on track to be ready for the upcoming season after he hit only six homers and had 33 RBIs while hitting .270 in 73 games last year.

With Kemp on the mend, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday he may have to juggle starts for Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier.

"I'll say this, and this is me talking, `A healthy Matt Kemp is better than anybody they've got playing center field,"' Stewart said. "They may play four outfielders but, if he's healthy, he's not going to be a platoon guy. I'm saying that. If he's healthy, which we have no reason to believe he's not going to be healthy, he's going to play center field every day and they can figure out what they want to do with the other three."

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron says he doesn't believe coach Nick Saban will leave for Texas.

McCarron made his comments in advance of Thursday's College Football Awards Show. Saban is reportedly a target of Texas officials to be the school's next coach if Mack Brown is fired or steps down.

But the quarterback also added that he can't speak for his coach.

"To me, he's not leaving. That's my personal opinion," McCarron said Wednesday. "I can't speak on Coach Saban. I stay out of his business. But if I had a pick, I'd say he's not leaving."

McCarron is up for the Maxwell Award as the nation's best overall player and the Davey O'Brien quarterback award Thursday. He also is one of six finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented on Saturday.

Should Heisman favorite and Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston claim the award, it would be the second consecutive year that the award goes to a freshman. Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel won last year and is a finalist again.

"I'm happy for those guys," said McCarron, a fifth-year senior who just missed a shot at leading Alabama to a third consecutive national championship. "Johnny's one of my good friends. Jameis, I'd be happy for him, too. I don't have any hatred against anybody, or against the Heisman committee or whoever votes on it. They're going to vote how they're going to vote.

"I'm happy, and like I said, I go home at night and I can pull out my three national championship rings and smile pretty big and be pretty happy. I don't need an individual award to tell me what I've achieved."

Still, he said the invitation to New York, which will be his first trip to the Big Apple, is something he will savor.

"Of course it made me feel good. I kind of smiled, proved a lot of people wrong. But I also feel like I earned it and I deserve it," McCarron said. "I think if you look at ... the three years of me starting, I'd put my numbers up (against) anybody in the country. ... What, 13 interceptions my whole three years starting? I mean, a lot of guys throw that in one year. I feel like I've taken care of the ball, I've done all the right things on and off the field.

"So if the award goes by their mission statement, I feel like I fit it pretty well."

It takes quite the sales job to explain why a medically cleared Robert Griffin III won't play for the rest of the season. Embattled Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan realized that and gave it his best shot Wednesday, speaking passionately at times in a 28-minute news conference that included references to the team's ''circus atmosphere'' and insistences that the move isn't a ploy to get himself fired. The upshot is that Griffin will be the inactive third quarterback for the Redskins' final three games, behind starter Kirk Cousins and backup Rex Grossman. Shanahan's reasoning is that he fears Griffin, who has taken a pounding in recent weeks, will get hurt, and that would ruin the franchise player's offseason - a reversal of Shanahan's oft-stated position that Griffin needed as much game experience as possible and would play to the end of the season.

Pete Rose sounded bowled over. Charlie Hustle, who famously flattened Ray Fosse to score the winning run in the 1970 All-Star game, couldn't believe Major League Baseball intends to eliminate home-plate collisions by 2015 at the latest. ''What are they going to do next, you can't break up a double play?'' Rose said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press after MLB announced its plan Wednesday. Evidently the guys making all these rules never played the game of baseball.'' New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, chairman of the rules committee, made the announcement at the winter meetings, saying the change would go into effect for next season if the players' association approved.

Quarterback Jay Cutler looks just about ready to play for the Chicago Bears. For linebacker Lance Briggs, the wait might go on. Coach Marc Trestman is optimistic Cutler will return from an ankle injury this week against the Cleveland Browns. He was set to work with the receivers after Wednesday's walkthrough, and Trestman said the Bears will know Thursday if he's ready to start.

Aaron Rodgers took some first-team snaps in practice Wednesday, though the Packers' franchise quarterback still hasn't been cleared to play in a game. If that stands through the rest of week, backup Matt Flynn is back in for Rodgers when Green Bay visits the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday in a game critical to both teams' playoff hopes. It's been a mixed bag of news this week for Packers fans anxious to find out when Rodgers will adorn the No. 12 jersey again in a game. The Packers are 1-4-1 since Rodgers fractured his left collarbone in a 27-20 loss Nov. 4 to the Bears, though they regained confidence following the come-from-behind, 22-21 victory last week over Atlanta.

Doc Rivers picked up another win in Boston. The coach who led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title returned for the first time with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night and beat Boston 96-88. Jamal Crawford scored 21 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers 23 seconds apart to help the Clippers pull away in the final 3 minutes. ''It was just a really nice day,'' said Rivers, choking back tears in his postgame news conference.

Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron says he doesn't believe coach Nick Saban will leave for Texas. McCarron made his comments in advance of Thursday's College Football Awards Show. That's my personal opinion,'' McCarron said Wednesday. But if I had a pick, I'd say he's not leaving.'' McCarron is up for the Maxwell Award as the nation's best overall player and the Davey O'Brien quarterback award Thursday.