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 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.
“It’s all about the energy and the competitiveness and how much you want to win,” Murray said after Thursday’s practice. “I don’t like losing. I really hate losing, to be honest. So I go out there and try to control what I can control, whether it’s offense or defense. That’s something I’ve always taken pride in.”
Finishing off opponents in the final 12 minutes, whether via stingy defense, hitting big shots or excelling in the two-man game featuring Murray and center , has become the Nuggets’ forte. It’s a big reason why they head into Saturday afternoon’s game at the with a 21-9 record that matches the 1976-77 team for the best start in the franchise’s NBA history over 30 games.
Denver also owns a four-game winning streak during which it has given up an average of only 18.8 points per game in the fourth quarter, the best mark in the NBA.
“A lot of it is about confidence,” coach Michael Malone said. “A lot of it is about our defense, but what I see is a very confident team. So even when we are down and not playing well, we have a confidence about us. We know we can get back in the game. We know we can execute late.”
After a sizzling 9-1 start, Denver lost four consecutive games by a combined 19 points, but learned valuable lessons.
“We lost those games because we weren’t disciplined on defense,” Malone said. “We gave up points at really important times and we weren’t executing down the stretch and making big shots.
“The difference now is you can see the confidence. Whether it’s Jamal, who’s become Mr. Fourth Quarter for us; or Nikola, who we play through on almost every possession, trusting he’s going to make the right play. Other guys have come through, too. is making some big, big shots for us.”
“Mr. Fourth Quarter” has been the catalyst, though. Murray has averaged 10 points in the fourth quarter across the four-game winning streak, fourth-best in the league.
“I have always had that in me,” Murray said. “When I was a little kid, I would dream about those big shots. You don’t shy away from those moments … I want to take that shot and I want to hit that shot, most of all.”
Added Malone: “Jamal has had some trials and tribulations, but now I think you can see his emotion, his confidence and his maturity all coming out in the fourth quarter.”
Fourth-quarter Flourish
The Nuggets are 21-9 in large part because of their play in the fourth quarter. A look:
* Denver is 13-6 in clutch games, which is defined by games that are within five points or less with five or fewer minutes remaining.
* During the current four-game winning streak, opponents are shooting only 31.4 percent from the floor and 9.1 percent from 3-point range.
* During the four-game winning streak, the Nuggets have a defensive rating of 79.8 points allowed per 100 possessions in the fourth quarter, best in the NBA.
