The first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs are underway and the series have been ones that have seen some team jump out with huge leads and some having some close games. All in all, it is all leading to the Eastern and Western Conference Championship series and ultimately the 2011 NBA Finals in which the Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to win the World Championship for a third consecutive season.
A win for the Lakers would be the sixth for Kobe Bryant and an unprecedented 12th for head coach Phil Jackson. Going into Thursday night's round of playoff action, the top seed in the Eastern Conference is the Chicago Bulls and they have a 2-0 series lead over the Inidana Pacers. The Miami Heat also play on Thursday and they too have a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Dallas Mavericks also play and again they have a 2-0 series lead over the Portland Mavericks.
Some of the other playoff series that are going on in the first round are the Lakers and they are tied at one game a piece with the New Orleans Hornets. The Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs are also nodded at one game a piece. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a 2-0 series lead on the Denver Nuggetts. The other series that are taking place in this year's NBA playoffs are the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks which sees the Celts up 2-0 and then the Orlando Magic and the Atlanta Hawks which are tied 1-1.
If the Lakers are able to pull off the three peat it will certainly be a very hard task. The playoffs this year are very well balanced, the most that it has been in several years. There is really no clear cut favorite to win it all and a low seed could actually play well enough to go all the way. Eyes though will certainly be on Kobe and the Lakers as they attempt to write their names in the record book and Kobe becoming one of the best players of all time. A sixth win would put Kobe past Magic Johnson for championships with the Lakers.
