They raised a championship banner. LeBron James and the Cavaliers then collapsed.

Jason Terry made six 3-pointers and scored 24 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 15 and the Mavericks, whose NBA title pursuit last season ended with a stunning first-round exit against Golden State, opened 2007-08 with a 92-74 victory over the Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

The Mavericks held a foul-plagued James scoreless in the first half -- and to 10 points overall -- in an impressive debut against the defending Eastern Conference champions, who are being given little chance of getting back to the finals.