Okafor, wary of Hansen passing to Randolph again, didn't dare commit too early and ended up too late to reach out his hand. Instead, he simply became part of the backdrop.
The FedEx Forum erupted into complete frenzy.
More thrilling than the dunk was the fact that Hansen had gotten past Kobe!
From Ci Shiping to Barnes, to double-teaming, and then Kobe... the Lakers had employed all their defensive resources, but all had failed without exception.
As for tightening up the defense, Hansen's earlier mid-range shots had made it clear that doing so was just giving him free points.
In other words, the Lakers had no answer for Hansen tonight!
But Kobe was Kobe; he wouldn't give up on what he believed in just because of one failed defensive play.
Under his persistent defense, Hansen's offensive efficiency did start to decline.
However, it also cost Kobe a lot of energy.
Fortunately for the Lakers, Paul was in form, which kept their hopes alive.
