Bryant Receives Honor

Kobe Bryant was selected to his second consecutive NBA All-Defensive first team on Thursday. San Antonio Spur forward Bruce Bowen, who has hounded Bryant for the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals, was chosen to the second team.

Bryant is on the first team with forwards Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, center Ben Wallace and guard Doug Christie. Duncan is a five-time first-team selection.

Shaquille O’Neal is on the second team with Bowen, Ron Artest, Jason Kidd and Eric Snow.

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Danny Ainge said he had two one-hour meetings with the new owners of the Boston Celtics but no deal has been completed for him to return to the franchise.

Ainge, who played for the Celtics, was offered the job of head of basketball operations, according to the Boston Globe. The team will make a more formal presentation when Ainge is in Boston tonight to serve as a television analyst for Game 3 of the Celtics’ playoff series with New Jersey, according to the Boston Herald.

Broadcast reports said he was offered the job of team president.

Chris Wallace is the current general manager and head of basketball operations. Former coach Red Auerbach is the team president.

“While my long-term goals of running a franchise have been well publicized, no deal has been completed and no deal has been signed,� Ainge said in a statement.

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If Michael Jordan takes a job with Charlotte’s NBA expansion team, he would run basketball operations -- a job originally earmarked for top executive Ed Tapscott.

“If Michael came aboard, he would be the president of basketball operations,� new owner Robert Johnson said.

Tapscott, hired in January as the team “architect,� said he would not have a problem working for Jordan.