Tomorrow's preseason game against the hated Cleveland Cavaliers marks the first of at least 91 game threads (82 regular season, 9 preseason) that will take place on this site. Make no mistake, game threads, more than silly link titles and YouTube classics, are the bedrock of this site, and really, the bedrock of the entire SB Nation network.
Many of you were not active members of the site last year, so before we embark on our first game thread, we might as well provide a quick refresher course.
Think of the game threads as an online gathering of Wizards fans at your local sports bar. If it sounds dorky, really, it isn't (okay, maybe a little). Much like you would with friends at a bar, game threads are the place for those spur of the moment comments that just pop into your head while you're watching. Whereas before your significant other was forced to bear the brunt of your complaints about Brendan Haywood's soft hands or the matador defense, now you can share those complaints with people that are probably thinking the same thing. Needless to say, judging from personal experience, realizing that is a very liberating feeling.
As such, certain community guidelines that call for us to be careful in how we phrase comments are relaxed significantly with game threads. Game threads are all about the passion and the immediate reactions, so don't feel bad about cursing out a player in a way that you wouldn't do so otherwise. So long as you don't direct anything inappropriate at one another, pretty much anything goes, unless otherwise noted.
That also goes for the direction of the subject matter. Game threads are traditionally about the game, but you guys can take the discussion in any direction you choose. It's called an "Open" game thread for a reason. The game itself is just the conversation-starter.
So please, if you are watching the game tomorrow anyway, stop by and chat in real time. Seeing as how I'm in Boston and living the life of a college student, there will likely be many times when I may not be able to participate in the game thread itself, but that shouldn't stop you. Jake still goes to school in the DC area, so I figure he'll be here all the time as well.
[Sidenote: If anyone knows how to get a bootleg feed of Comcast Sports Net on the computer, e-mail me.]
In that spirit, this is an open thread about game threads. I'm really hoping that these can become our own mini-events, where we all look forward to chatting in real time about our favorite team.