The Sixer Sense
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Who predicted the Philadelphia 76ers’ final record correctly?

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Philadelphia 76ers fans react during the game against the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 12: Philadelphia 76ers fans react during the game against the New York Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center on February 12, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Late in March, we polled the Philadelphia 76ers fans to determine their expectation for the teams final record. Who was the soothsayer among Philadelphia 76ers fans? We name each here

The Philadelphia 76ers are not an easy team to anticipate what happens next. At the beginning of the season, a 41-41 record seemed awfully optimistic. Yet here we are, the season is over and the team bested the most optimistic expectations for the year.  But the season took on a life of its own, didn’t it? After all, the team was locked at .500, 25-25, on Feb. 3, 2018. That was enough to give some post-season hope to the team, but not much more.

Since that point in time, the Philadelphia 76ers have gone on a 26-5 run.  Nobody saw it coming. Not one fan. No pundits. Not the coaching staff. Not even the players.  Now, some of us saw the team winning 50 games. But this team won 52 games.  So who saw this coming?

Facebook fans future forecast

Well, we turned to our Facebook page to see if any fans were equally clairvoyant about the future of this team’s success.  What we discovered is a crowd of empassioned, knowledgeable and brave fans who did not hesitate to weigh in.  All told, over 40 fans were willing to test their luck, their knowledge, and their ESP, and risk predicting where the team would end up.

These fans faced the same challenging parameters we did. With 27 games remaining, the team stood at 30-25. How many saw the team splitting the remaining games? Just 16%. How many believed the team could win all 27 remaining games? An amazing 7.5 percent of the true rose-colored glasses hopefuls. But between the two extremes, there are five fans whose crystal ball predictions have earned each a place as Sixer Sense professional prognosticators. And who are they?

The winners

The Philadelphia 76ers ended the season at 52-30. With a game of total domination against the Milwaukee Bucks, the team closed out the season with a 16 game winning streak to end up 52-30. While nobody guessed the final record correctly, the winning prediction of 50-32 was shared by five gifted individuals. And so, with no future ado, let’s visit the identities of these professional prognosticators:

Jason Dierolf  predicted 50 wins and 32 losses
Tom Astolfi predicted 50 wins and 32 losses
Tito Montan predicted 50 wins and 32 losses
Ryananand Kolar predicted 50 wins and 32 losses
and
Jake Farmer predicted 50 wins and 32 losses.

Take a bow. You have earned the respect of Philadelphia 76ers fans everywhere.  And you have earned the right to be named in your own article at The Sixer Sense.

What a ride, what a rush!

Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers collectively are one of the most intelligent fanbases of any team and any sport. And some of the most passionate. The fans routinely show up in NBA cities throughout the nation, and whereever they are, they are certain to be heard at some pivotal moment during the game.

For the first two-thirds of the season, that support seemed to land on a team destined to fall short of the NBA Playoffs.  After all, .500 basketball in the NBA Eastern Conference would place this team at the 8-seed slot. Still, the fan support never waned, never faltered.  After losses, some fans aimed their ire at head coach Brett Brown, and some still do to this day.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons Markelle Fultz 1st postseason

But the Philadelphia 76ers carry an incredibly significant winning streak into the NBA Playoffs.  And when they get there, fans hope they get to witness Joel Embiid’s return early in round one.  But regardless of his timetable, he will return to cheers and applause. After the past four years of putting off short term wins for the chance at building something special, the Philadelphia 76ers are delivering better than the brochure. And the fans of Philadelphia, often the victim of national media stereotyping, have taken the high road.  Thank you to all the fans who have made writing about the Philadelphia 76ers enjoyable.  Now, let’s get ready for some NBA Playoffs!