The four-finger salute.
Legend has it that the tradition began with University of Alabama football in the early 1960s when coach Paul “Bear” Bryant roamed the sidelines. University of Miami fans claim that they began holding up four fingers at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the swaggering Hurricanes dominated college football in the 1980s.
No matter the origin, the meaning is clear: own the fourth quarter and victory is yours.
Don’t expect Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray to start flashing four fingers before the final quarter of each game — that’s not going to fly in the NBA — but it’s clear that Murray wants to be the man in charge with the game on the line.