Game One was the coming-out party; a Bulls message that said “We’re for real.” Game Two was the win Boston had to have, and they got it in dramatic fashion. Game Three? Matt and Nick will be giving you the ultimate fan’s insight as this compelling series unfolds. It’s Matt and Nick’s Playoff Game Blog: Bulls/Celtics Live, Thursday night, available only at BleacherReport.com. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/161112-matt-and-nicks-playoff-game-blog-bullsceltics-live

Hope everyone enjoyed the first weekend of the NBA Playoffs. Here’s the list of entries for the Beat Writers competition. We will try to publish standings updates after every round so you know how you’re doing throughout. Thanks for your work so far and good luck over the coming weeks!

Sean Stancill
Brandon Ribak
John Louie
Layupdrill.com
James Surmonte
Rich Kurt
Jacob Nitzberg
Owen Stiffler
Andrew McNeill
Greg Evans
Jeff Kirshman
Jay Wierenga
Timothy Bielik
Daniel Wheat-Rivers
Bobby Oler
Jack Bender
Regino Garcia
Pete Hager
Jonathan Mandel
Keith Schlosser
Kevin Roberts
Paul Swaney
Matthew Petersen
Bhavik Darji
Leigh Ellis
Paul Pesko
Darren Feeney
Chris Grinstead
Dan Frost
Alex McVeigh
Bryce Williford
Allen Levin
Greg Eno
Charles Tabb
Jenise Rolle
Alex Idle
Siddhant Singh
Robert Kleeman
Colin Flosi
Jeff Little
Erick Blasco
David Carter
Derrick Weathersby
Joe Fernandez

Still interested in signing up? There’s plenty of playoff action to cover! Send an email with a link to your article to trey@bleacherreport.com.

Paging all Creatures: Bleacher Stud Leroy Watson has revealed the secrets to his writing in his latest submission.

The five-time POTD winner shares with you the three e’s of Bleacher Report publication: engage, educate, and entertain.  He then fleshes out how to achieve each of these important goals.

For those of you searching for success on the Open Source Sports Network, this is truly a can’t-miss.  Many thanks to Leroy for revealing his secret sauce!

Is this the year that a first-time NBA Champion like LeBron James breaks through? Can Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets navigate the West?

Or will traditional powers Boston and Los Angeles clash in a Finals rematch?

16 teams, four rounds, two months, one trophy. And an army of Bleacher Report Beat Writers battling to be the best, while covering the best.

Cover the postseason like a true professional. Analyze the playoff series, make your case for MVP, police the officiating, and detail your team’s draft needs. All quality NBA content is fair game and can take you one step closer to becoming B/R’s ultimate NBA Beat Writer.

Welcome to the NBA Playoffs on Bleacher Report, and thanks for making us the Finals destination.

—

Rules

1) To sign up for the 2009 NBA Beat Writers competition, write your first entry and send the link to Trey Bradley at trey@bleacherreport.com. Or just post the link to his board. You will receive a confirmation that you have successfully registered for competition. Only confirmed, registered Beat Writers will be eligible for prizes.

2) Every qualifying article you write between Monday, April 13 and Friday, June 19 accumulates reads that will count towards your total. The author with the most cumulative article reads on Monday June 22 at 12:00pm EST will be declared the winner.
3) Note on qualifying articles: qualifiying articles must be at least 200 words and relate to the NBA Playoffs, the NBA Draft, a NBA player, or a NBA team. Bleacher Report reserves the right to disqualify any submission that is factually inaccurate, libelous, inappropriate, and/or offensive.

4) Prize: This year’s top NBA Beat Writer wins an authentic jersey and a team hat from the NBA Store. The runner-up will receive an equally stylish Bleacher Report t-shirt.

Hey All,

Bleacher Report was able to provide a couple of our top MMA writers with inside access to the Shamrock vs. Diaz Strikeforce fight this weekend.

Check out this interview with Frank Shamrock by our very own Brian Oswald, and be on the look out for on-site fight coverage from D Wizzle.

Way to go Brian and Derek!

Hey Everyone,

Be sure to tune-in to Sports Overnight America Weekend this Saturday night (from 10:06 pm PDT – 1:00 am PDT) and listen to some of your fellow Bleacher Creatures talk shop!

Jameson Fleming will break down the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final match-up, Bob Warja will address the many questions that the Chicago Cubs face heading into this season, and Stephen Meyer will discuss the Yankees’ chances to christen the new ballpark with a World Series Trophy.

Hope you’re around to listen and support your fellow creatures!

-The Bleacher Report Team

Hey Everyone,

Bleacher Report would like to invite you to join us on Thursday, April 16th at Greens Sports Bar in San Francisco to watch the Giants take on the Dodgers.  The entire Bleacher Report staff and co-founders will be in attendance so come enjoy the extended happy hour drink specials and raise a glass with your fellow Bleacher Creatures!

Here are the event details:

Where: Greens Sports Bar: 2239 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109 (map)
When: Thursday, April 16th, 6:30pm (Giants game starts at 7:10pm)

Any and all are welcome so feel free to bring your friends and spread the word.  You can RSVP for the event on the B/R Facebook Page.

This will be the first of what we hope to be many meet-up events across the country, so if you can’t make this one be on the look out for B/R Meet-ups coming to a city near you.

Hope to see you there!

-The Bleacher Report Team