he finds motivation for the fight in showing people of all kinds that age is

LOS ANGELES -- After weeks of negotiations and intrigue, Doc Rivers has officially left the Boston Celtics for the Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers will be introduced as the Clippers new coach and senior vice-president of basketball operations at a news conference Wednesday at their Playa Vista training complex, capping a lengthy process by completing a rare trade involving a championship-winning coach. The Clippers and Celtics finalized the move Tuesday when the NBA approved the deal. Boston will get an unprotected first-round pick in 2015 from the Clippers for Rivers, who went 416-305 and won the 2008 NBA title during nine seasons with the Celtics. Bostons front office mostly had warm words for Rivers after he took off for his exciting new team on the West Coast, apparently not eager to stick around for the aging Celtics rebuilding process. "We dont have a championship without Doc Rivers coaching," said Danny Ainge, the Celtics president of basketball operations. "He did an unbelievable job. He has a long history of great success with us in the last nine years, and we wish him the best in Los Angeles." Rivers is likely to be the NBAs highest-paid coach with the deal, and hell also have a prominent role in the Clippers front office with his additional title. Clippers owner Donald Sterling will expect impressive results for such an investment, but his long-suffering franchise has never been in better shape on the court -- providing Los Angeles re-signs Chris Paul, who is eligible for a five-year contract worth nearly $108 million in July. Paul is widely expected to stick with the Clippers, and Rivers arrival might cinch the deal. With Boston likely to spend the next few years revamping, Rivers seized the chance to take over one of the leagues most compelling young teams. He was eagerly pursued by the Clippers, who are coming off the best regular season in franchise history with a roster built around Blake Griffin and Paul. "He felt like it was time for a change," Ainge said. "He felt like we all needed a change. That was his rationalization or justification for going to the Clippers, that this was better for everybody. I dont think there should be any resentment. I know how Boston fans are. This may be a win-win for everybody." The 51-year-old Rivers replaces Vinny Del Negro, who wasnt re-signed after the Clippers won a franchise-record 56 games and their first Pacific Division title last season. Los Angeles first-round playoff loss to Memphis likely cost Del Negro, who went 128-102 over three years and became the only Clippers coach to post consecutive winning seasons in 35 years. Rivers new deal is expected to be similar to the three years and $21 million that remained on his contract with the Celtics. Boston was knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by New York last month, and Rivers gradually became more interested in the Clippers vacancy than the Celtics rebuilding process. The negotiations for Rivers proceeded deliberately and abruptly over the past two weeks, with several potential moves discussed by the franchises. Ainge would have welcomed Rivers back to the Boston bench, but Rivers apparently saw the Clippers as a golden opportunity. "Sometimes youve got to let your good people go to pursue what they need to pursue to make themselves happy," Celtics President Rich Gotham said. "While its tough to see Doc go, I think we feel good about what he did here. We will be lucky to find as good a coach as Doc was." Los Angeles also spoke to Boston about acquiring star forward Kevin Garnett in another element of the trade involving Rivers, but NBA Commissioner David Stern wont allow teams to trade active players for a coach. Garnett and Southern California native Paul Pierce wont be reuniting with Rivers in Los Angeles any time soon: Ainge said the NBA has forbidden player trades between the two teams for the rest of the year, and both aging stars are under contract for next season. Garnett has discussed the possibility of retirement with two years and over $23.5 million left on his deal, while Pierce is due to make $15.3 million next season. Rivers played one season for the Clippers in 1991-92 during his 13-year NBA career, and they made the playoffs that season for the first time since the former Buffalo Braves moved to the West Coast in 1978. Los Angeles has made only five playoff appearances and won just two rounds since that season. But the Clippers are coming off the best two-season stretch in club history, and Rivers arrival further alters the franchises decades-long reputation. Rivers will be an intriguing match with the high-flying Clippers and their Lob City acrobatics, but his coaching pedigree and leadership skills will provide him with immediate credibility in his new locker room. Rivers Boston teams played at a more deliberate pace than last seasons Clippers often used last season, but the veteran coach is likely to adapt his offensive plans to fit the Clippers talent. Rivers impact on Los Angeles could be felt most on defence, where the Clippers often struggled last season despite their lofty record. After his playing career ended in 1996, Rivers went into broadcasting before serving as the Orlando Magics head coach for just over four seasons from 1999-2003, going 171-168 and winning an NBA coach of the year award. He is one of four active NBA coaches who have won a championship. Kellen Winslow Chargers Jersey . 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LOS ANGELES -- Maybe its not Bernard Hopkins favorite song, but it has meaning to him, which is why before his fights in recent years, he has walked out to the ring to the strain of Frank Sinatras My Way.For most of his legendary career, Hopkins indeed has done things his way, against all odds, whether he was fighting the system (his battles with promoters are legendary), imposing his unbreakable will on opponents, being a master of mental games or breaking records (20 consecutive middleweight title defenses and the oldest fighter to win a world title, first at age 46 and then again at 48).Although Hopkins has not fought since losing two light heavyweight world titles to Sergey Kovalev by one-sided decision in a unification fight 25 months ago, he wanted one more fight. He wanted to go out his way.Philadelphias Hopkins, a month shy of his 52nd birthday but still in extraordinary physical and mental condition, will bow out on his own terms when he takes on Joe Smith Jr. in a 12-round light heavyweight fight on Saturday night (HBO, 10 p.m. ET/PT) at The Forum in Inglewood, California.Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) insists that the fight with Smith, who earned Hopkins attention with his upset first-round knockout of contender Andrzej Fonfara in June, will be the last of his incredible 28-year career.Whether you want to call him The Executioner or The Alien, Hopkins established a Hall of Fame legacy many years ago. During his career, which began when Ronald Reagan was still president and a year before Smith was born, Hopkins was the undisputed middleweight champion, a three-time light heavyweight titleholder, and pulled memorable upsets against Felix Trinidad, Antonio Tarver, Kelly Pavlik and Jean Pascal, not to mention knocking out Oscar De La Hoya, a man who later became his business partner and close friend, to become the first fighter in any division in the four-belt era to hold all of them at the same time.Hopkins, of course, did not have to come back to the ring after the loss to Kovalev. Having overcome a 4?-year prison sentence for armed robbery, Hopkins made something of himself. He is now a wealthy man with various business interests, including real estate holdings, a stake in Golden Boy Promotions, a burgeoning career as an analyst on HBO and owner of a monumental boxing legacy.But Hopkins, as always, wanted to do things his way. That meant not walking away off a loss to Kovalev. It meant one more fight, one he wanted against a credible opponent.I want the book to be written good, Hopkins said. The last thing you remember about a good book is not the beginning, its the ending. I look at this as the final icing on the cake or that exclamation point. This is it. You know this is history.I achieved my first goal of success in the first part of my life. That was rougher than boxing. If you know anything about Bernard Hopkins history, if you go into details about the inner-city Philadelphia guy, who was in the penitentiary from age 17 to 25 and survived, youd realize I became champion a long time ago. We, as humans, put limitations on ourselves. When all is said and done, I dont want to regret what I didnt do.So with no regrets, Hopkins went through one more training camp, this time with John David Jackson as his head trainer after parting ways with longtime trainer Naazim Richardson for reasons neither cared to explain.In the co-feature, 24-year-old featherweight up-and-comer Joseph JoJo Diaz (22-0, 13 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California, will fight Horacio Violento Garcia (30-1-1, 22 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a scheduled 10-rounder. In the opener, cruiserweight world titleholder Oleksandr Usyk (10-0, 9 KOs), 29, the 2012 Ukrainian Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, will make his first defense against Thabiso The Rock Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs), 28, of South Africa.Hopkins stays in shape all the time. He has done that from Day 1 of his career. But he admitted that it was tough going back into camp after such a long layoff and at such an advanced boxing age.As much as I stay in shape and shadow box -- the shadows dont punch back -- I got my ass kicked the first few ddays of sparring, Hopkins said.dddddddddddd I know certain positioning and punches that I normally slide away from, and I know the timing, but it wasnt there. After about two weeks, my timing came back, and I was fine. But you realize your body is saying, Were going to do this again?There were some kinks, some adjustments I had to make to get back into the flow. I think its more on the inactivity of not having contact than my age.Hopkins said the layoff was not by design. He had been staying in shape and looking for a fight, often bugging De La Hoya and Golden Boy president Eric Gomez about what they might be able to line up for him. He would have loved to have moved down to super middleweight and challenge for a world title, but any notion of that prospect vanished earlier in the year when Arthur Abraham, a possible opponent, lost his title.Winning a title is significant, but it wasnt the most important thing, Hopkins said. I have a lot of belts at home that I can look at it. This last fight wasnt about a championship.So he sat, but never thought about not fighting once more.I look at it as rest coming off the Kovalev fight, which was a grueling fight, as having benefited me more than if I would have fought last year, Hopkins said. I had that stretch to figure out what I wanted to do and also stayed in shape.As much as Hopkins wants the buildup to the fight with Smith (22-1, 18 KOs), a 27-year-old Mastic, New York, union laborer, to be a celebration of his career, Hopkins has not wanted to spend much time reflecting on his past conquests. He said that will have to wait until after the fight.The past will never be forgotten, but I cannot let the next few days be about reminiscing about my career, because my mind right now is so stuck on being focused on the battle in that ring come Saturday night, he said. We all know my legacy, but my mind is built on Saturday. Im telling myself that I trained so hard, and just like Joe Smith is thinking he dont want to be a construction worker all his life, and he wants to be where I am, I am putting in the work too and thinking like him.Whatever happens on Saturday, the result is unlikely to either enhance or diminish Hopkins legacy. That was sealed years ago. But Hopkins has always needed to find something to serve as motivation, be it a real or imaginary foe, so he is in battle mode this week.Im fighting for my legacy, to preserve it and keep it. I dont want to diminish it, he said. I wanted to do a fight that matters to not only give a real fight to the fans, but I am motivated to win. I didnt want to just grab a few bucks to bully somebody and raise my hand up like I got my ego back in check. Im going to win. Im going to try my best to whip his ass. Im dedicated and disciplined in what I do, and I love and respect my job.Hopkins also said he finds motivation for the fight in showing people of all kinds that age is nothing but a number.There are millions who are judged by their age, Hopkins said. There is a group of people of all religions and colors that understand that I am their motivation, who know I am the poster man for the middle-age human being thats walking around, women or man, that is showing that age is only a number. Age shouldnt define you wanting to prove that you are still worthy. They wont look at me just as a prizefighter who is going to be 52 next month. I can inspire the old lady in the nursing home. My legacy, my story, my performance is more than just for me.So Hopkins will make that last ring walk -- to My Way once again -- climb between the ropes once more and fight one last time.When Im done, theres no stone that hasnt been unturned, and thats the key, Hopkins said. Remember that quote: Theres no stone when my career is over that hasnt been unturned. So there will be no regrets. There will be no Oh, I should have did this or I should have done this.Im done after Saturday. So sit back and enjoy and understand that there will be no more like me.Certainly no more that did it quite his way. ' ' '