Bruce Bowen, Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell join the league’s all-defensive first team.

Bowen, who got the most overall votes from the league’s coaches, is part of a crushing San Antonio defense that held the competition to a league-lowest 90.1 points per game. This is his seventh selection to the team.

With his selection, Kobe also makes a seventh trip to the league’s upper echelon of defenders, returning along with Bowen to claim first-team status for the second year in a row. This is Kobe’s fourth first-team selection in the last five years.

Bell is a first-time selection to the team, quite possibly the first of many appearances to come. His tenacious play has neutralized the league’s toughest opponents all season long. In addition to his ever-rising talents as a defender, Bell also led the league in three-pointers made.

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Jason Kidd and Tayshaun Prince, two more top-notch defenders who continue to frustrate the league’s biggest offensive weapons in postseason action, were selected to the second team. Congratulations to everyone who made the cut.