2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol Left Off All-Defensive 1st Team

The 2012-13 NBA All-Defensive teams have been announced, and the results are somewhat shocking.

According to the league’s official Twitter feed, the All-Defensive First Team is comprised of forwards LeBron James and Serge Ibaka, guards Tony Allen and Chris Paul and a tie for center between Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah:

Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol was snubbed by the head coaches, as they voted him to the Second Team, which also includes Tim Duncan and Paul George at the forward spots and Avery Bradley and Mike Conley at the guard positions: 

This isn’t the first time that the league’s Defensive Player of the Year wasn’t named to the All-Defensive First Team, as Dwight Howard was voted in ahead of Tyson Chandler last season.

Here's a look at how the coaches voted, according to Royce Young of CBS Sports:

First Team

Player	First Team	Second Team	Total Points
LeBron James	25	3	52
Serge Ibaka	17	12	46
Tyson Chandler	9	6	24
Joakim Noah	8	8	24
Tony Allen	25	3	53
Chris Paul	15	7	37

Second Team

Player	First Team	Second Team	Total Points
Tim Duncan	3	14	20
Paul George	7	13	27
Marc Gasol	5	2	12
Avery Bradley	10	5	25
Mike Conley	4	11	19

The rest of the First Team isn’t too surprising, as James won the MVP for the second straight year and came in second for the DPOY voting. As both an all-around player and versatile defender, he arguably had one of the finest seasons this league has ever seen.

Paul was an absolute nightmare on the defensive end, hounding opposing point guards and playing the passing lanes to come up with 2.4 steals per contest.

Allen has a reputation as one of the top perimeter stoppers in the game and a crucial member of the Grizzlies' starting lineup despite his inconsistent offensive production.

Noah and Chandler also deserve recognition, but it’s questionable if one—let alone both—belong ahead of Gasol on this list.

Chicago’s pivot provided an emotional spark and was a relentless shot-blocker. He pulled down 11.1 boards, sent away 2.1 shots and recorded 1.2 steals per game during the 2012-13 campaign. The Knicks' big man averaged 10.7 rebounds and only 1.1 blocks during the regular season, serving as the only true rim protector for most of his minutes.

While the 7’1” Gasol’s average of 1.7 blocks and a steal during the regular season aren’t eye-popping, his ability to completely change the way teams attacked Memphis offensively is what earned him 2012-13 DPOY honors.

Allen’s contributions certainly helped, but the Spaniard center was the main reason that Memphis ranked second in defensive efficiency and gave up a league low of just 88.7 points per game.

It’s a bit puzzling as to how the coaches weren’t able to reach the same conclusion as the media did and elected to put two other centers ahead of Gasol for the All-Defensive First Team.

This snub should only provide the big man with more motivation in the postseason, as his Grizzlies are up 2-1 on the Oklahoma City Thunder and looking to push into the Western Conference finals.