Philadelphia 76ers: As predicted, the Sixers won 50+ games

Many thought that 50+ wins for the Philadelphia 76ers was a pipe dream, but one diehard fan and TSS writer predicted it.

It must be a dream: the Eagles win the Super Bowl, Villanova wins the NCAA championship and the Philadelphia 76ers win 52 games (it feels so good to write this). But as we know, dreams do come true and some dreams are predictable.

Allow me to crow for a few seconds only, but in my post before the season, I predicted: “If healthy, the 76ers should win 54.7 games.” But as we know, the team was not healthy, as No. 1 draft pick Markelle Fultz missed 68 games, Joel Embiid missed 19 games and rookie Furkan Korkmaz missed half the season, so it’s understandable that my prediction was slightly off.

I reasoned that since the Sixers won ten out of 15 games in January, 2016 (with a starting lineup of Joel Embiid, Robert Covington, Ersan Ilyasova, Nik Stauskas and T.J. McConnell), they could repeat that record over a full season with a much better team. Mathematically, that would give them 54.7 (82*10/15) wins.

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But my crowing stops here, as I was wrong as much as I was right. I expected Richaun Holmes and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to play much better. I didn’t expect Ben Simmons or J.J. Redick to play as well as they did.

I discovered that it was impossible to predict the Sixers this year. Who could have predicted that the 76ers would

Sign Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova after the All-Star break.
Win their last 16 games, eight of which were without Joel Embiid and 4-8 of those games without Dario Saric.
Win 24 of 25 games at home in 2018.
Have a winning road record, 22-19.
Have the fifth-best record in the NBA at 52-30 (.634), especially after losing 9-10 games in December, and leading the league in turnovers along with the second-most personal fouls.
Go 31-12 since Christmas.
Be 25-25 on Feb. 2, and then go 27-5 the rest of the way.
Have a 22-0 record when holding a team under 100 points.
Have a dominating 23-2 record against Eastern Conference teams with a losing record.
Be first in rebounds and second in assists.

Overall, the 76ers were pretty much unpredictable.

What is my prediction for the playoffs? Well, the 76ers have 10 players who have not played in a playoff game:

Three rookies: Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Furkan Korkmaz
Three second-year players: Joel Embiid, Dario Saric, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Three third-year players: T.J. McConnell, Richaun Holmes, Justin Anderson
One fifth-year player: Robert Covington

We do have five veterans with playoff experience (J.J. Redick, Marco Belinelli, Ersan Ilyasova, Amir Johnson, Jerryd Bayless), but four of those are backups.

Realize also that our point guards, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz, are 21 and 19, respectively. Their free throw percentages are dreadful (Simmons, 56 percent; Fultz, 47.6 percent) and their three-point accuracy is pitiful (both at 0 percent).

But despite their shortcomings, they are quick, fast and long with wingspans around 7-feet. Simmons is the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year and Fultz is the youngest player ever to record a triple-double.

Due to their youth and inexperience, it would be easy to predict an early exit from the playoffs. But dreams do come true and the sky is the limit for this team. Like the Eagles, the Sixers find a way to win despite hardship and flaws. No longer should we underestimate them.

Next: TSS' NBA Award ballots

Anything is possible, so let’s dream on. I’m dreaming of 16 more wins. You’ll hear from me later, if I’m correct.