Straight off the pregame show on TNT:

Charles Barkley: I’m telling you, the Clippers are going to be a surprise team in the West. And C-Webb just bet me, we’re going to bet a nice dinner, that the Clippers are going to have a better record than the Warriors, which is a no-brainer. The Clippers and Oklahoma City are BOTH gonna have a better record than Golden State.

Chris Webber: Oh, wow. The Clippers are real good at being terrible. They’re very consistent, every year. I’ve got Golden State having the better record.

CB: Every now and then, an ugly girl wakes up pretty.

Now, I know Charles is a veteran Warriors-hater — who can forget his promise that Dallas would beat Golden State in the We Believe playoff series? — but this just borders on the ludicrous. The Clippers, with Blake Griffin missing six weeks? The Thunder, who are still even younger than the Warriors?

Hey, Chuck, let me know where I sign up, buddy.

– Geoff