Johnson’s return gives Suns hope

The Phoenix Suns have plenty of reasons to be excited about having Joe Johnson back for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals tonight.

The biggest reason involves easing the huge burden the team has placed on Steve Nash – at both ends of the court.

On defense, Nash will no longer have to chase San Antonio point guard Tony Parker. He’ll be Johnson’s problem. Instead, Nash will get to cover the Spurs’ last scoring option, Bruce Bowen.

When the Suns have the ball, Nash will no longer be the second scoring option after center Amare Stoudemire. That’ll be Johnson’s job, too, as will running the offense so Nash can have some rare time off to catch his breath.

“I’ve had a lot of minutes in a lot of games and a ton of responsibility lately,” Nash said Friday. “I think it will keep me a little bit fresher, but I don’t know if that will have an impact on the game.”

It can’t hurt.

As much as Nash has cleared any doubts about his Most Valuable Player status with the way he’s played in Johnson’s absence, Phoenix still trails this series 0-2 with the next two games on the road. No team has come back to win the conference finals or NBA Finals under those circumstances.

If the Suns lose Game 3, the odds really would be against them. No NBA team has ever rallied from a three-game deficit to win a series, in any round.

So, uh, welcome back, Joe.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Johnson said. “I’m just going to go out and play. Whatever the results may be, that’s that.”

Johnson has been out since a face-first fall from the rim May 11 against Dallas. The Suns went on to lose that game and are 3-3 without their third-leading scorer.

His return was expected after he practiced Thursday. He received final approval from doctors Friday morning; he also had some stitches removed from inside his mouth.

Coach Mike D’Antoni said Johnson will start and will play as long as he’s effective. The only limitation is a protective mask Johnson must wear.

“Hopefully, it’ll affect him more than he thinks it will,” said San Antonio’s Robert Horry, who knows from experience how uncomfortable such a mask can be for a player.

Hamilton has to work

Eddie Jones took a seat on the Miami bench late in the first quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, and Detroit shooting guard Richard Hamilton suddenly couldn’t miss.

In less than three minutes, Hamilton – free of the defensive shackle that Jones is – made three shots to end the quarter.

Consider that a lesson learned for the Heat.

Hamilton has piled up his points so far in this series, averaging a team-high 18.5 per game. But Jones and the rest of Miami’s perimeter defenders are making the Pistons’ best shooter work for everything he gets.

“You’ve got to be right where he’s at,” Jones said. “Contest the shots. Don’t die on screens. Don’t just give him wide-open shots. He’s a great shooter. Anytime he’s coming off those downscreens and he gets to that gap, he’s pretty much automatic.”

Hamilton, who was getting treatment on his hurting right calf and did not speak to reporters after practice in Auburn Hills, Mich., said after Game 2 that the injury is affecting the balance of his jump shot, causing him to slightly alter how he uses his legs while shooting.