Lakers’ Goal: No Rest for Weary : Defense That Tired Suns’ Kevin Johnson Will Be Plan of Attack in Game 3 Tonight

Exhaustion gripped Kevin Johnson quickly and unexpectedly.

He sat in the visitors’ locker room at halftime, having scored 18 points and helping the Phoenix Suns to a four-point lead over the Lakers in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals, when it hit.

Suddenly, he felt spent, physically and emotionally. So, when his teammates went back onto the court for the second half, Johnson did not move. Shortly before the buzzer sounded, Johnson finally found the energy to continue playing.

From that point, however, fatigue and the Lakers’ unceasing defensive pressure slowed Johnson, crippling the Suns’ chances. Johnson scored only four points, missed the only two shots he attempted from the field and committed seven turnovers as the Suns lost the lead and the game.

The question tonight, when the teams play here in Game 3, will be whether the Suns’ point guard will again exhaust himself trying to compensate for the cold shooting of Tom Chambers and Eddie Johnson, who have combined to make only 21 of 70 attempts.

But Sun Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said he will make sure that, by the second half, Johnson won’t have his tongue hanging out.

“I should have seen the warning signs,” Fitzsimmons said. “I knew something was probably wrong when he didn’t go out there with the other guys to shoot at halftime. At the time, I didn’t say anything to him, but it seemed a little strange.

“I’m concerned with him a little because that’s the first time I’ve seen it. It’s the only time he’s ever really gotten tired. He (usually) can play all day. I really think a lot of it might have been emotion. Kevin prepares for games so much, so intensely.”

Johnson acknowledges that he forgets to pace himself. He plays more than 40 minutes a game, handling the ball on nearly every offensive possession. Plus he has the responsibility of guarding the Lakers’ Byron Scott, who is averaging 27 points in this series.

After Thursday’s practice at the Memorial Coliseum, Johnson still was shaking his head over his play in Game 2. He spoke as if his body had betrayed him.

“I was a nonentity out there in the second half, and I can’t be that way if we’re going to win,” Johnson said. “By the time the second half came around, I had nothing left. I was dead. It’s hard to explain it, really. I was so tired that I went home (Wednesday) and just did nothing.”

Johnson had two explanations.

The first was that he overextended himself trying to give the Suns a strong start in the Forum. The second was that he tried to carry too much of the offensive burden.

“I think it was an emotional thing, not physical,” Johnson said. “I thought we had to do well right away to show the Lakers, and that required a lot of concentration. By the second half, I’d had it.”

The Lakers were able to double-team Johnson and force him into turnovers because of the cold streaks of Chambers and Eddie Johnson. The Lakers say they will do the same thing tonight and hope for a repeat performance.

“When you hear a player confess that he was tired, of course you’re going to look at the tape and see what you did against him and then do it again,” said Scott, who will guard Johnson.

“It’s hard for him to pace himself because he’s got to run the offense and set up shots for himself.

“But it’s no secret how we stopped him. We want to make him give up the ball, and then we pressure him so that he doesn’t get it back. Let the other guys handle it.”

Eddie Johnson acknowledged Thursday that he has been bothered by two jammed fingers on his right (shooting) hand during the last two weeks.

“I don’t want to use it as an excuse, but I’ve been thinking about (the jammed fingers),” Eddie Johnson said. “But I’ve taken some big horse pills to help (the condition) and I feel better. My hand was bothering me in the Golden State series, too, but I had open shots then.

“The difference now is that (the Lakers) are running guys at me, not giving me the open shot. They have guys in my face.”

Chambers has no injury to fall back on. The Lakers, James Worthy in particular, have dogged him defensively. But Chambers has missed even open shots.

“The last two games, I’ve been horrendous,” he said. “We’ve got to come out of it. It’s crucial to get either Eddie or me going. One or the other--or both. If one of us is hitting, it opens things up.

“Kevin can’t take it upon himself to do it all. We’ve got other guys, like myself, who have to contribute.”

Playoff Notes

Cotton Fitzsimmons, after being selected as NBA coach of the year by the media, said he will coach the Suns next season for the sake of continuity and then “probably” turn over the coaching reins in 1990-91 to assistant Paul Westphal. “I’m honored to be named the best coach, because it’s another indication of how far this franchise has come in one year,” Fitzsimmons said. . . . Laker Coach Pat Riley received only one of 85 votes for coach of the year. “We’ve got an all-points bulletin out for that guy,” Riley joked. “He’s going to get an all-expenses-paid trip to my adult basketball camp (in Hawaii).” . . . Game 4 on Sunday will start at 12:30 and will be televised nationally on Channel 2.