Josh Richardson Looks on the Bright Side After Back to Back Losses

Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson wouldn't sulk after a back to back loss against his former team, the Miami Heat.
Josh Richardson Looks on the Bright Side After Back to Back Losses
Josh Richardson Looks on the Bright Side After Back to Back Losses /

Philadelphia 76ers guard Josh Richardson is no stranger to the atmosphere at American Airlines Arena in South Beach. After spending his first few seasons in the NBA with the Miami Heat, Richardson had the opportunity to play in front of his old crowd once again as a member of the 76ers.

While Richardson received some cheers from his old fans, his homecoming was ultimately spoiled as the Sixers took a 117-116 loss in overtime to the Heat. Ironically, the Sixers lost to the Orlando Magic on Friday night by the same deficit.

Following both games, multiple players within the Sixers' locker room seemed defeated. Richardson, however, won't let a couple of losses get to his head. Despite being disappointed in the latest results, the Sixers' guard always keeps a smile and an upbeat vibe -- never letting defeat allow Richardson to get down on himself.

"Every loss has to build character," Richardson said, following Saturday night's overtime thriller. "You just can't sulk about it. We gotta take things from [Friday's loss], and we gotta take things from [Saturday's loss]. We gotta be like computers. Just keep taking in new data and putting it into our gameplay."

While Richardson's positive vibe didn't exactly carry-over for everybody on Saturday night, the hope is that his message will resonate with those who are down about the Sixers' set of losses in Florida this week.

It comes as no secret that Philly is a solid team. They've shown that fact time and time again by defeating some of the NBA's best squads this season. However, when the Sixers' roster can't all get on the same page in critical moments, their team struggles big-time.

Over the last two games, the Sixers have struggled with effort and consistent execution. While Richardson believes the Sixers' intensity was a lot better on Saturday in comparison to Friday's game, there are still "little things" that need to be fixed before the Sixers get back "on a good road," according to Richardson. Fortunately for them, they have a couple of days to figure it all out before hitting the court again on New Year's Eve.


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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA