Shaq: Charles Barkley said during Game 2 that Clippers would sweep Spurs

When the Clippers were up, 94-92, over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2, Charles Barkley apparently started celebrating. Then Blake Griffin committed a costly turnover with 11.9 seconds left, leading to Patty Mills making two free throws, which forced the game into overtime.

The Spurs won in overtime, 111-107, tying the first-round series at 1-1.

“Chuck was in there celebrating with his coffee, ‘Oh, they gonna sweep ‘em, they gonna sweep ‘em,’” O’Neal said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” “I told him, I said, ‘Chuck, don’t celebrate too early,’ and then Blake turned it over, and they came back and won.”

O’Neal said because the Spurs have won five NBA championships, including one last season, he never underestimated them.

“The Spurs know what it takes to win championships,” O’Neal said. “They knew they needed this Game 2.”

The retired superstar center also said that he knew that Tim Duncan would have a good game Wednesday after his subpar performance in the Clippers’ win over the Spurs in Game 1. Duncan had 28 points on 14-for-23 shooting in Game 2, after having only 11 points on four-for-10 shooting in Game 1.

Said O’Neal: “Tim Duncan is a bona fied superstar. It’s an unwritten rule for any superstar, I’ve been watching sports, I’ve been involved with sports, it’s an unwritten rule for any superstar -- never have two bad performances in a row.

“I knew he was going to come out and have a better game. They had two days off in L.A., sunny, massages, swimming pool, I knew he was going to have a good game.”

Barkley said that the Clippers should have won Game 2, and that he now thinks the series is going to turn into a “battle of attrition.” He went on to point out what he thinks are the Spurs’ worries, and what he thinks is the Clippers’ biggest hole.

“It’s going to be a quick turnaround, they play Friday,” Barkley said. “Duncan played probably the most minutes hes played all season [44], you’ve got to worry about [Manu] Ginobili, you’ve got to worry about [Tony] Parker.

“But on the other hand, the Clippers have no bench. So it’s going to get very interesting the next few games. It’s going to be a battle of attrition, to be honest with you.”

The Spurs’ bench outscored the Clippers’ reserves, 48-17, in Game 2.

TNT’s Kenny Smith said he thinks the Spurs’ championship experience will help them.

“[The Spurs] play at a level eight every single time,” Smith said. “You just have to play at nine or 10 to win. If you don’t play at nine or 10, you lose. That’s it. [The Spurs] maybe go to nine at most, but they play at eight every single time, no matter what the score is, who is the opponent. And you have to play nine or 10 to win.”

Game 3 will be in San Antonio on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PDT.