Stranger Things' Final Season Delivered Another Deep Cut Indiana Reference In Volume 2 That I Greatly Appreciated

Warning! The following contains spoilers for Stranger Things Volume 2 episode "The Bridge." Stream the episode with a Netflix subscription and read at your own risk!

Not that long ago, I wrote about how Stranger Things squandered many opportunities to reference big names and moments that involved the state of Indiana during its run, and how that disappointed me as a native of the Hoosier state. Since then, the series has me eating crow after mentioning an iconic syndicated radio show from the area and also featuring an NBA conversation that I genuinely believe would've happened in Indiana in the 1980s.

While I'll knock the series for choosing to reference Indiana Beach over the vastly superior state theme park, Holiday World, I absolutely love the Reggie Miller reference that goes much deeper than most fans of Stranger Things may know. For those out of the loop, I'm happy to break it down.

Stranger Things Featured An Argument Between Two Guards About Reggie Miller

As Hopper and Mr. Clarke are trying to navigate the city whilst avoiding the military presence, we see Eleven knock out a camera being monitored by two members of the military. Fortunately, they aren't paying attention and are instead locked in an argument involving the Indiana Pacers' newest draft pick, Reggie Miller. Heres's what they said:

• Guard One: "You're telling me Alford wouldn't have doubled that score?"
• Guard Two: "Four from six from the field! Reggie's gonna be something special, you mark my words."

Now, even the most casual NBA fans will be familiar with the name Reggie Miller, considering he's a Hall of Famer and the most famous person to ever play for the Indiana Pacers. That said, Twitter uer @iPacersblog pointed out the reference is even deeper than that, as November 6th, 1987, four years after Will Byers was taken, was also the day Miller played his first game for the Pacers. Not only that, he shot four from six from the field, so someone did their homework.

Whoever Wrote That Scene Had To Have Some Knowledge Of Basketball In Indiana At The Time

There's even more to these two lines in Stranger Things, however, and one that only those who know Indiana basketball would fully appreciate. The first guard compared Reggie Miller to Steve Alford, the star Indiana University player that many Pacers fans wanted the team to draft. The Pacers instead drafted Miller with the 12th pick, while Alford would go to the Mavericks 26th overall.

One of those players went on to be the best three-point shooter of his era and remains a face in the NBA through broadcasting, while the other had a lackluster NBA career but found success as a college basketball head coach. Spoiler alert: the second guard in Stranger Things was right on the money that the Indiana Pacers were right to take Reggie Miller over Steve Alford.

All that being said, I applaud the Stranger Things writing staff for that short conversation, because there were legitimately many Hoosiers who believed drafting Miller over Alford was a mistake. The latter was an Indiana-born-and-raised college star with tons of accolades, while the other was a promising guard from California who had leg issues as a child. This is just one example of how the experts always know more than the fans, even when it feels like the opposite.

With this latest reference, I consider my gripe against the Duffer Brothers ignoring Indiana null and void. Now, I'm just ready to cry my eyes out during the finale, even if I still have no idea how this story could end. I know there are a lot of theories about character betrayal, and while I think there is one obvious choice, I still have my eye on Will, and believe there's a good chance he's still operating as Vecna's spy.

We don't have long to wait for the answer as Stranger Things is set to premiere its finale on Netflix on December 31st at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'm hoping for the best for the main characters, but I think there's a good chance we'll see a number of them die before Hawkins and the world is saved from Vecna.