William Blake wrote a book of poetry called The Songs of Innocence and of Experience in which he explored the loss of childhood. Through poems written from the point of view of identical characters at different stages of life, Blake showed the often dark and sad ways that humans change through the addition of fear and corruption often coming with maturity. With James Harden departing for the Houston Rockets, Blake could now write an entry for Thunder fans in both sections of the book.
Through the first four years of the team's existence in Oklahoma City, the Thunder have been a feel good story. Their presence has drawn the city together with a experience described as "college-like" in a market accustomed to collegiate atmosphere. With extremely young, highly exuberant, classy players, the fans of the Thunder often forget that the people they cheer for are multi-millionaires working in a billion dollar a year business.