Charles Barkley expects Clippers fans to be ‘going nuts’ in Game 3

On Saturday evening at Staples Center, the Clippers will play in their first playoff game in Los Angeles in six years.

“Well, I think the place will be going nuts,” NBA analyst Charles Barkley said on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” “You know, they haven’t been to the playoffs in a long time and obviously with Lob City and Chris Paul and everything, they’re very excitable. I think it’s going to be a fantastic atmosphere.”

The Clippers’ first-round Western Conference playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies is tied at 1-1. Games 1 and 2 were played in Memphis.

In Game 1, the Clippers stunned the Grizzlies and silenced a raucous Memphis crowd by overcoming a 27-point deficit to win, 99-98. In Game 2, the Clippers didn’t match Memphis’ physicality as the Grizzlies claimed a 105-98 victory.

“They don’t like getting beaten up ... other than Kenyon Martin, they’re not a very physical team,” Barkley said of the Clippers.

“They want to run up and down the court and throw lobs. If i were playing against the Clippers and I were coaching them, I’d say, ‘You’re not letting them dunk.’ ”

Um, yeah, ask Kendrick Perkins about the efficacy of that plan.

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