Confronted by the hype of facing his former team Saturday, Josh Richardson kept it cool.
Asked during pregame availability how much excitement - or pressure - comes along with this type of reunion, Richardson said he saw the impending matchup with Miami as one of 82. Just another day in the office.
About an hour later, that less-talk-more-action spirit came to life as Richardson finally squared off against his old comrades.
His offense sparkled: Richardson finished with a season-high 32 points, including six threes, in the 76ers’ 113-86 victory. He shot 11-of-15 overall, and had four assists.
Show, don’t tell.
And even considering that dominant offensive performance, Brett Brown was equally impressed by Richardson’s defense in what would be perhaps the team’s strongest win of the season to date.
“I saw a two-way guard. I saw somebody stalking people down, rearview contests with their shots, making people have to chew up clock on full-court entries - he made it difficult all over the place,” Brown said.
As for the human side of a rematch with his former team - which includes some of Richardson’s longtime friends - he savored the moment.
“Being able to play against some of my best friends is always fun,” he said, after swapping jerseys with Bam Adebayo (12 pts, 5 reb) postgame.
“That was definitely a fun game to play.”
Richardson’s performance mirrored the Sixers’ overall night, an offense that hummed matched by defensive intensity.
The Sixers held Miami to just 40.0% from the field and 25.0% from long range. They bottled up Jimmy Butler for 30.7% shooting, thanks to Ben Simmons’ lockdown performance.
“I think [our defense] was great,” Richardson said. “Tobias, Matisse, Shake, Trey, Ben - all those guys did a good job of chasing their shooters. I think they did a commendable job on them.”
The intangibles were there too.
“I think I saw our chemistry get better,” Richardson said. “When you can go at your teammates, and come out of it positively, I think that’s a good step forward.”
With four straight wins in tow, it feels like the Sixers have taken more than a few good steps forward this week.
Headed to Toronto to face the defending champions Monday, expect Richardson to bring his hallmark intensity to both ends of the floor - while staying cool,* of course.
*Richardson was cool from the moment he stepped into the building.