Clippers keep their eyes on top prize

PLAYA VISTA >> Doc Rivers beamed as he hoisted the trophy and cameras gathered around to capture the moment.

“You never thought I’d earn this, did you?” the Clippers coach said.

Then Rivers set one of the most iconic prizes in sports back on the table inside the Clippers’ practice facility. The Claret Jug, which for nearly 150 years has been awarded to the golfer who wins the Open Championship, was on a coast-to-coast American promotional tour in advance of July’s tournament at Royal Birkdale.

On Thursday, that included a trip to Playa Vista and into the arms of Rivers, an avid golfer.

This was not exactly what the Clippers had in mind when they first gathered back in September with talk of…