Win it for Gino

This sure wasn't the Celtics-related story I expected to be reading following Game 1 of the Finals. Our favorite mustachioed, long-armed, smooth operator on the dance floor was discovered to have passed away in 1990, in a report by the Wall Street Journal.

Frankly, the timing of this whole thing is a little suspicious. It reminds me of the eventually-proven-to-be-false report that the Patriots had taped the Rams' 2002 Super Bowl walkthrough, which surfaced in the week before the Pats lost their perfect season to the Giants.

Is someone from California trying to create the same distraction for these Celtics? Well, there is no first-hand sourcing to the Journal piece, so perhaps it's just a ploy.

R.I.P, Gino.

You want to talk conspiracy theories and contrived Hollywood-style comebacks, as Phil Jackson seems so content on pursuing with the Pierce return from injury?

Well, then, imagine this scenario: A saddened Celtics fan base watches silently as Game 2 goes south and the men in Green seem to be lacking that something, when, during a critical juncture in the game, who's that spotted on the camera? Wait, is that who I think it is? It can't be … It is!! That's the real-life Gino! He's alive! Sitting there behind the bench! And he's … dancing!

The crowd erupts, the Lakers deflate, and the Celtics soar to a come-from-behind victory.

Thank you, Oral Roberts.

Seriously, though, it is a sad story, the whole Gino thing. However, I'll be honest: I think Gino had kind of jumped the shark this year. It used to be that seeing Gino was a rare, special treat, designed to reward to Celtics diehards 3 or 4 times a year. They never used to play a Gino clip after the game was won. If it was a close win, no Gino. Only the blowouts were Gino-worthy.

Then this year, Gino started showing up at every game. He became a cult-of-personality. There used to be a day when you had to hunt the Internet for hours to find a Gino shirt. Now they were being sold outside the Garden. They started breaking the Gino rules and showing the clip after the final buzzer. People expected to see Gino every game, like it was their right. The team even made their own Gino shirts to sell inside the arena (I'll tell the truth, I bought one).

There was something a little off in the whole thing. Gino isn't a right. Gino is earned. And even thought the C's had the best record in the NBA this year, it didn't seem like the fans were properly earning their dose of Gino.

Is that just me spouting sour grapes for years of rare Gino sightings? Probably. I'm also the type of guy who loses passion for a great unknown band once they hit it big. So clearly, I have issues.

Still, I hope that learning the fate of the real Gino doesn't take any of the gusto away from the whole phenomenon. I know, he doesn't affect games, is a fun novelty act that probably got more attention than it deserves, but it is still a little depressing. I agree with KG, that maybe it was better not knowing the fate of the Human Victory Cigar:

The Celtics organization initially tried to search for the man several months ago and hoped to bring him to the TD Banknorth Garden for a game, but Mr. Gotham says superstar forward Kevin Garnett told him that might detract from the magic of the ritual. "That would ruin it," he recalls Mr. Garnett telling him. "He could be old and bald and fat now."

Well, we (seem to) know now, Mr. Garnett. Hopefully you can recover for Game 2.

Then again, maybe the team and fans can rally around this. Sure, it's sad to learn the fate of Gino. But think about it: the guy has been given a second life on the big HDTV screens at the Garden. He makes people dance. He makes people smile. That's something to celebrate. All of us could only wish for such a tribute after our days are done.

So, let's hope Gino keeps on keepin' on during these Finals. Because if he doesn't show on the big screen again during the Finals, well that will be the most disappointing development of all.