Buck Stops With Lakers : NBA playoffs: They take blame for fourth-quarter breakdown, during which they made four of 19 shots.

A short jump shot by Laker forward James Worthy late in the third quarter Tuesday night looked as if it would fall short. But rather than passively following the ball’s flight, Worthy all but scared it into the basket with his deep, threatening voice.

“Get in there,” Worthy grumbled. The ball obliged.

But all the coaxing by Worthy could not prevent a surprising fourth-quarter offensive collapse that led to a 104-102 loss to the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference semifinal series.

The Lakers went the final 3 minutes 40 seconds without making a basket. They made only four of 19 shots in the fourth quarter, blowing an eight-point lead in the last nine minutes. Worthy missed all of his six shots in the fourth quarter, Magic Johnson made only one of five shots and Byron Scott missed his only shot in the final eight minutes.

The unraveling was neither pretty nor common. The Suns’ defense, which included Kurt Rambis on Worthy and Dan Majerle or Jeff Hornacek on Johnson, was only partly responsible.

The Lakers blamed themselves. They said they lacked patience, had lapses of composure and simply took the first, instead of the best, shot they had.

Wednesday, the Lakers gathered at the Forum to review their inadequacies on videotape in hopes of avoiding another collapse against the Suns tonight in Game 2. “We watched (the fourth quarter) over and over and over again,” forward Orlando Woolridge said. “I think we learned from that. That’s not like us. We have such good players that sometimes we feel we don’t have to execute.”

This is not the first time the Lakers have folded in the fourth quarter.

In finishing with an NBA-best 63 regular-season victories, the Lakers had to come from behind on numerous occasions. But they had a memorable home-court collapse against the Detroit Pistons, failing to score a basket for the final eight minutes and getting shut out in overtime. And they lost Game 3 of the series against the Houston Rockets after making five of 18 fourth-quarter shots.

“Even the great teams, it happens to them sometimes,” Sun Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said. “I’m not going to say either way, whether it was us or them. But how many times is James going to go 0 for six and Magic one for five? That’s not going to happen a lot. We’re not bragging about it. We’re just playing. But we do believe in ourselves.”

Laker Coach Pat Riley watched in seeming disbelief Tuesday night. He emerged Wednesday in a feisty mood.

“Four out of 19 is not going to beat anybody,” Riley said. “You can’t make assumptions that, because you are at home, good things are going to happen. Our failure to execute and be patient got (the Suns) even. What happens is you get a little frustrated and you lose the discipline. We knew what we had to do. We worked on it for three days in practice. We did not do it.

“(Laker players) should be upset with themselves. We had an eight-point lead and some nice moments and chances to really open up a lead in the third quarter. We could’ve had a 13-, 15-point lead had we made a couple proper decisions.

“They should be disappointed in themselves in how they executed and their impatience on offense in the last eight minutes of game.”

Riley said the Lakers held a “nice film session” to hash out their problems. If Laker players were not aware of their fourth-quarter transgressions before, Riley kept hitting the rewind button.

In the final 8:11, the Lakers committed three turnovers and had a curious selection of shots. Worthy had an inside shot blocked by Tom Chambers, Magic Johnson an inside shot blocked by Eddie Johnson. Scott missed an open three-point shot, Woolridge missed a jump shot from the top of the key, Worthy missed two jump shots under pressure and another while crossing the lane with 1:01 to play. Worthy also was pressured into taking an off-balance running jump shot with five seconds left that was not close.

“We didn’t execute,” Worthy said. “We were quick-shooting everything. We’ve got to play 48 minutes.”

What may have been most troublesome--and surprising--to the Lakers was their lack of patience when the Suns rallied.

“We played like a first-year playoff team,” center Mychal Thompson said. “It wasn’t us out there. We’ve got to play with intelligence in the fourth quarter. We rushed the offense and got too anxious. Is that the Lakers?”

It certainly was the same Phoenix defense the Lakers have faced so often, but they could not handle the Suns’ constant pressure.

Fitzsimmons had used Chambers almost exclusively against Worthy the last two seasons. In Game 1, however, the more-physical Rambis guarded Worthy until late in the fourth quarter, when Chambers took over. Worthy led the Lakers with 22 points, but made only nine of 26 shots. Neither Rambis, the former Laker, nor Fitzsimmons wanted credit for controlling Worthy.

Said Rambis: “I guarded him just like everybody else would--try to push him as far away from the post as possible and then scream for help. It’s really not Worthy against Rambis. It’s Worthy against the Phoenix Suns.”

Added Fitzsimmons, who watched Worthy average a Laker-high 25 points against the Suns in last season’s playoff series: “I think Kurt did a nice job on him, played him hard. . . . Kurt is a thinker, very defensive-minded. If you’re going to play a guy like Worthy, you’ve got to be a thinker. Kurt knows Worthy, what he likes to do best. That doesn’t mean he’s going to stop him, but it can help.”

Riley said he hopes the Suns use Rambis, who is slower but stronger than Chambers, on Worthy tonight.

“I’m not saying Kurt is not an excellent post defensive player--he is--but I think James has quickness and can do a better job.”

Hornacek and Majerle, among others, took shifts in applying the tight defense that kept the ball away from Magic Johnson, who made four of 14 shots.

“(Phoenix’s defense is) not any tougher than Houston’s or 82 other games this year,” Riley said. “Earvin’s used to it. He knows it. He knows what he has to do. Last night, I thought it was a relief, I really do. They didn’t come and trap him and double-team him.”

Said Johnson: “They are trying to wear me down, like most teams do. I just have to get into it more.”

Distraught as Riley was about the Lakers’ offensive problems, the coach said he was reasonably pleased with his team’s defense.

The Lakers concentrated on controlling point guard Kevin Johnson (nine points, 12 assists) and shooters Eddie Johnson (four of 12) and Chambers (10 of 26) at the expense of center Mark West.

West, occasionally left unguarded when Laker big men double-teamed players with the ball, made the Lakers pay. He scored 24 points, had 16 rebounds and blocked seven shots.

“It was not an aberration,” Riley said of West. “You’ve got to give (West) credit. He was definitely a difference. I thought for the most part we defended efficiently enough to win. But our offense put a lot of pressure on our defense.”

Laker Notes

Cotton wore cotton, and the Suns finally ended two long Forum losing streaks Tuesday night. So, Sun Coach Cotton Fitzsimmons said he again plans to wear the cotton-knit golf shirt he borrowed from trainer Joe Proski after he left his white dress shirt at the team’s hotel Tuesday night. The Suns had lost 21 consecutive games in the Forum, and Fitzsimmons, who had lost 37 in a row there, gave partial credit to Proski’s golf shirt. “I think it’s the shirt,” Fitzsimmons said after Tuesday’s game. “I may keep this shirt forever.”

Sun point guard Kevin Johnson, who attempted only seven shots in 45 minutes, is playing with a hip pointer and did not appear to make have his usual quick bursts toward the basket. “It’s affecting him,” Fitzsimmons said, “but you do what you have to do. But let’s give Byron Scott credit. Scott did a great job on him.” Johnson said his hip is not hampering his play. “That’s Cotton just trying to protect a player,” Johnson said. “I’m smart enough to know what it takes to win. The other players were doing it (Tuesday). It’s important to us to have everyone involved.” . . . Fitzsimmons segued into his thickest, down-home style when asked what he expects from the Lakers tonight. “I expect the Lakers to come back with fire in their nostrils,” he said, “coming at us as strong as a freight train can come at you. There’ll be no surprises with the Lakers, I tell you that.”