Much has been made about what gesture Louisville coach Rick Pitino did or did not give to Kentucky fans while leaving the court after a 75-73 loss in Lexington on Saturday.
There was almost surely a finger involved – but which finger it was, exactly, has been the source of much debate. Many, understandably, saw the middle finger, as insults were being rained down on Pitino. But Louisville insists it was the harmless forefinger extended to his opponents' fans, an innocent indication of "We're No. 1" (although they weren't, not even in that game).
Anyway, adding to the controversy now is son Richard Pitino, who suggested it wasn't a finger at all, but rather an entire fist, perhaps an instinctive reaction that fell just short of the message he really wanted to send. Richard laid out his thoughts on his weekly radio show on 1500-a.m. this week.
"I think he was about to give the finger, but he didn't," the younger Pitino said. "Like he put his fist up. So maybe it was like that Rocky 4 thing … But he definitely did not give the finger, because I was looking at it like 'Oh god, don't give the finger.' And he didn't. But again, it's that fake outrage. It's like he almost did it. Well OK. You can't almost do anything. So it's funny. But I'll tell you the biggest thing you do to quiet any noise – you win, you win."
All I know is this is a time when Ross Geller's double-fist tap could have come in handy.
