The 2001 NBA All-Defensive First Team Was One of The Best of All Time

The 2001 NBA All-Defensive First Team Was One Of The Best Of All Time

The old adage, "defence wins championships," has been borne out by the league's actual results more often than not.

The Celtics ranked first with a Defensive Rating of 106.2, while the Warriors ranked second with a rating of 106.6; these two teams were among the Finals participants.

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Also included on the All-Defensive First Team were DPOY winner Marcus Smart, as well as Mikal Bridges, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Rudy Gobert.

While that's a strong team, it's not quite as good as the All-Defensive First Team from the 2000-01 season, which serves as something of a benchmark.

Anyone trying to score on this team would have a tough time since it has some of the finest defenders the game has ever seen.

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On defence, that's about as good as it gets. This is one of Duncan's record 15 All-Defensive Team choices for his career; Garnett is tied for second with 12 such honours.

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Also, among guards, only Kobe Bryant had more picks (13), although both Payton and Kidd have nine.

Despite being the final player in the group, Mutombo earned a record-tying four Defensive Player of the Year accolades despite only making it in six times. Despite being the final player in the group, Mutombo earned a record-tying four Defensive Player of the Year accolades despite only making it in six times.

It's unlikely that the NBA will ever again have a collection of defensive stars of this calibre all on one team at the same time.

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