The Surreal Spurs Experience: Shrieking Lady, Awful Music Take Over Playoff Game

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 8, at 8:45 a.m. ET

The Spurs Shrieker appears to be Val Garcia, a 23-year-old dental assistant (via TheBigLead). Garcia gave an interview to a local San Antonio news station claiming to be the shrieker. She also told the station she had heard her screams had sounded like a "dying seagull."

Sounds familiar. The Spurs Shrieker referenced my Bleacher Report article where I compared her to a seagull. See for yourself in the video below

---End of Update---

Imagine watching a magical NBA playoff game full of amazing comebacks and clutch shooting down the stretch.

Now imagine watching that same game with Ricky Martin exploding out of the stadium speakers and a huge seagull dying noisily in your arms. That is what Monday night’s game between the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors was like. 

A sonic bombardment of “Now That’s What I Call Music 4” and the shrieking of a woman in the stands threatened to ruin the incredible Game 1 showdown between the two teams (h/t Larry Brown Sports). The sounds echoing inside the AT&T Center shook fans at home and in the stadium down to their very cores, beginning with the strangely timed and off-putting blend of stadium music.

HOW DID WE FORGET ABOUT C&C MUSIC FACTORY????? #SPURS

— Peter Burns (@PeterBurnsRadio) May 7, 2013

If you tease the crowd w/ Ricky Martin you damn well better give them Selena after that shot. Major fail Spurs music dude, major fail

— Eddie Radosevich (@Eddie_Rado) May 7, 2013

Yeah, Spurs music dude has no clue. You don't play Party Rock Anthem right after you GAVE UP the lead! #Duh

— Mike Crummy (@Crumdawg97) May 7, 2013

While confusing and troubling to some, the tunes weren't even close to the worst thing going on Monday night. That distinction belongs to Shrieking Spurs Lady—the newest villain in sports—whose soul-destroying wails began sometime during San Antonio’s 18-2 scoring run to send the game into overtime.

The piercing noise sounded like the death screams of a gut-shot seagull, and it reverberated into homes across the nation.

Judging by reactions, it appears the hardest part for Warriors fans was the girl screaming on every Spurs play. Just dagger screeches.

— Jimmy Spencer (@JimmySpencerNBA) May 7, 2013

Reasons to want the Spurs to lose: 1) Awful timeout music; 2) Manic screaming lady

— Kyle Neddenriep (@KyleNeddenriep) May 7, 2013

Screaming lady turned a nation of viewers against the Spurs #AmexNBA

— Lang Whitaker (@langwhitaker) May 7, 2013

No one knows exactly who this woman is, but the working theory is that she was sitting behind sportscasters Chris Webber and Dick Stockton, and her shrieks were picked up by their microphones (via 30FPS).

We may never know who she is, but we know two things after Monday night: San Antonio is like prison camp for your ear drums, and Spurs Shrieking Lady is out there, living among us.

And that is terrifying.

Hit me up with Shrieking Lady tips. If you see something, say something: Dr__Carson