Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is happy that there are high expectations for the team entering the 2010-11 season.

Carlisle agreed with the Dallas Morning News that a lot of pressure follows the expectations.

"Yeah, but that's good," Carlisle said. "You want to be in a situation of high expectations. That means your team is good. I love it and our team loves it. That's one of the reasons we're one of the best teams in the league in close games."

Carlisle hasn't be at all happy with his first two seasons in Dallas.

"They're both failures," he said. "One we got to the second round so maybe it's viewed as more successful. But we were a better team this past year. We just got beat in the first round.

"Our mission is to stay the course and keep working on the things we have to work on ? defense and getting better at home. That's the difference between ultimate success and perceived shades of success."