May 11, 2006, 23:29 GMT
Los Angeles - If it's the NBA's All-Defensive First Team, it's a given Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen will be on it.
Wallace, of the Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio's Bowen were voted Thursday to the team, the league said.
Named earlier this week as the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time in the last five years, Wallace received 54 points to earn his fifth consecutive appearance on the team at the centre position.
'You know, that's where my pride and joy is at, on the defensive end, being able to get stops being able to come up with the basketball to help my team win,' Wallace told reporters recently.
Wallace is joined by guard Bowen, who garnered a league-leading 55 points, for his sixth consecutive appearance.
Forwards Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz (44 points) made the prestigious squad for the third time, and 2003-04 defensive player of the year Ron Artest of the Sacramento Kings (30 points) garnered his second nomination.
Guards Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets round out the team, with 28 points apiece. It was Bryant's sixth selection and Kidd's seventh.
The cornerstone of the Pistons' defence, Wallace was the only player in the league to finish in the Top 10 in rebounding average (11.3), blocks (2.2) and steals (1.8).
Bowen was usually assigned to cover the opposing team's deadliest offensive threat. Again he did the job, helping the stingy Spurs allow the second fewest points in the league en route to the Western Conference regular season crown.
Slowed down by injuries, Kirilenko managed to record an NBA-best 220 blocks this season, and finished second in that department with a 3.2 average per game.
Artest immediately toughened up the Kings after the fiery forward was acquired on January 25. His rugged defensive play helped them close with a 25-14 record en route to an eighth straight playoff berth.
Bryant won his first scoring championship by averaging 35.4 points per game this season. However, he showed he could play the other end of the court equally as well, ranking ninth in the league in steals with 1.8 per game.
Kidd, the Nets' floor leader and one of the league's premier guards, finished eighth with 1.9 steals per game while averaging 7.3 rebounds.
The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of San Antonio's Tim Duncan, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, Denver's Marcus Camby, along with Detroit's Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince.
The voting panel consisted of the NBA's 30 head coaches, who were asked to select NBA All-Defensive First and Second Teams by position. They were not allowed to vote for players from their own team.
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