It’s a homecoming for Doc Rivers as he leads Clippers into Boston

BOSTON — Doc Rivers is returning to the site of his most glorious moments as an NBA coach.

Rivers is bringing his new team, the Clippers, to face his old team, the Boston Celtics, a team he led to an NBA championship in 2008 and to the NBA Finals in 2010.

He spent nine seasons with the Celtics before he bolted from Boston last June, rather than stick around for a rebuilding project, to join the Clippers to become the coach and senior vice president of basketball operations.

The Clippers didn’t practice Tuesday, but Rivers seemed excited about their game Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston.

“I put nine years in there, nine wonderful years. So that will be really cool,” Rivers said Monday after the Clippers’ win in Philadelphia. “It’ll be great to see … I would say all my players, but there’s not a lot left. But there are some.”

Rivers’ mainstays from Boston, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, were traded to the Brooklyn Nets last summer. But Rivers will see them on his little reunion tour Thursday night when the Clippers play at Brooklyn.

Rajon Rondo is another of Rivers’ former players, but the Celtics All-Star guard remains sidelined while he recovers from surgery on his left knee.

“But for me, it’ll be great to see all the people that have worked there,” Rivers said. “I made some great friends for life and it’ll be good to see them.”

Although the Celtics are below .500, they still lead the Atlantic Division. And that wasn’t expected to be the case because Danny Ainge, Boston’s president of basketball operations, was in a rebuilding mode.

But Rivers has been impressed by the Celtics.

“They still have a lot of good players left,” Rivers said. “They are talented. And when Rondo comes back, it’ll be interesting. Because if he comes back — and who knows that because of the knee thing — they are going to be a playoff team. And I said that before the year started.”

Jackson joins Clippers

Free-agent swingman Stephen Jackson flew to Boston on Tuesday night to join the Clippers, signing his non-guaranteed contract when he arrived.

The Clippers have been riddled with injuries, with J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Reggie Bullock all sidelined.

Jackson, 35, who will be at the team’s shoot-around on Wednesday, gives the Clippers another healthy body and someone who can score off the bench. Last season with the San Antonio Spurs, Jackson averaged 6.2 points in about 20 minutes a game.

Jackson was waived by the Spurs last April after he complained about his lack of playing time.

broderick.turner@latimes.com

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