The feel was different. It was as simple as that. Everything about the Mavericks' first game was different. There was a new arena, a new season and most of all, new expectations.

"We had 19,000-plus in the stands, so that's an indication that things were going to be different," Michael Finley said.

Different expectations, but same old outcome. The Mavericks started their season with a 94-87 triumph over the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 19,200 at American Airlines Center.