In photo: Raymond Towler, the other guy, enjoys the National Anthem before last night’s Celtics-Cavs game while standing on the court alongside a afflicted looking Shaq. (Did Shaq know what was coming?)

He’s wearing the number 52, because that’s his age. Prior to last week, the last time Towler was not an inmate was when he was in his early 20s.

Yesterday, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported that Towler, a lifelong Cavs fan who used to watch games on a 13-inch television while locked up, would be the Cavs guest of honor at the game last night after being released after serving 29 years for a false conviction that he raped an 11-year old girl.

(Sidebar: Falsely convicted of Murder. That’s the only false charge that comes to mind that’s on-par with being falsely convicted on raping an 11-year old girl)

The Cavaliers set him up nice: treated him and his family to a dinner in the VIP lounge, he stood on the floor during pre-game warm-ups, they let him take two three-pointers (he made one), and the team even showed up for two quarters of their playoff game.

Considering the Cavs lost Towler’s homecoming game 120 – 88, I can’t decide whether his reaction would be positive – because hey, no more heinous crimes on my record, woot – or if he’d rail on the team like any other diehard fan. I’d say any margin less than 20 is guaranteed good tidings from the guy who just got out of prison after falsely being convicted of raping an 11-year old (Man, I still can’t get over how awful that is). But torched then cauterized by 32 points in game five of a playoff series? I’m not sure even a newly freed man is going to be able to take the bad with the good.

I couldn’t care less what Mike Brown and Lebron James have to say about last night’s game, I want to hear this guy’s post-game quote.

Photo via ESPN.com