They say defense wins championships and over the course of the league’s history, that notion has been proven right more often than not. Take for example last season, where the top 2 teams in the defensive standings were the ones that made it to the Finals, with the Celtics leading at 106.2 while the Warriors were right behind them at 106.6.
Both of these teams were led by Robert Williams III and Draymond Green on the defensive end, with both being rewarded with a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team. The All-Defensive First Team, meanwhile, included Marcus Smart who won DPOY to go along with Mikal Bridges, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Rudy Gobert. Although an impressive group, they still pale in comparison to the first-team All-Defensive of the 2000-01 season, which in some ways can be considered the gold standard. It featured some of the best defenders the game has ever seen and anyone would struggle to score on this group.
2001 NBA All-Defensive First Team
Tim Duncan: 22.2 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 2.3 BPG
Kevin Garnett: 22.0 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.8 BPG
Dikembe Mutombo: 10.0 PPG, 13.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 2.7 BPG
Gary Payton: 23.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Jason Kidd: 16.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 9.8 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG
It’s almost as good as it gets on the defensive end. Duncan’s inclusion here was one of his record 15 All-Defensive team selections in his career while Garnett is tied for second all-time with 12. Payton and Kidd, meanwhile, are at tied for 6th with 9 apiece, with only Kobe Bryant having more picks among guards.
The last remaining member of Mutombo only managed 6 times, but he won 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards, which is tied for the most in league history. We may never again see such a talented group of defensive individuals playing at the same time in the NBA.
