With nearly four minutes still left in a miserable game for the Mavericks, a couple of fans got up in the expensive seats at American Airlines Center and threw their arms at the court as if to say, "Forget this."

Or maybe the words weren't that benevolent.

At the least, Monday's crowd got half of the equation it was looking for. The LeBron James Show was terrific. But the Mavericks were terrible.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers ripped them, 100-81, pushing the Mavericks to 0-2 at home, and they probably were lucky the deficit wasn't greater. The Cavaliers had 18 offensive rebounds and enjoyed a huge advantage on the boards all night. That they scored only five second-chance points was amazing.

Yet they still owned the Mavericks, particularly in a fourth quarter. They scored the first 13 points to open a 16-point lead and held the Mavericks to 4-of-15 shooting.

The Mavericks have been outscored by 24 points in the fourth quarters of two home games.

"Our inability to defensive rebound from the opening tip was our undoing," coach Rick Carlisle said.

"They had four offensive rebounds in the first 3 ½ minutes, or something. And it didn't get much better throughout the game."

Actually, the Cavaliers had three offensive boards on their in the first possession.

The lack of defense in the fourth quarter and pitiful rebounding throughout doomed the Mavericks.

And then there was James, who brought a few oohs and ahhs from the crowd but was more of a surgeon in the way he cut up the Mavericks with 29 points and eight rebounds. The Cavaliers had four other players in double figures.

This is not a good sign, considering the Cavaliers started their trip with a 12-point loss to another Southwest Division team, New Orleans.

It's worse when you consider the Mavericks play at San Antonio tonight.

"They're 0-2 and desperate for a win, and they're sitting there waiting for us," Carlisle said.

The Mavericks need a bounce-back game from everybody. Dirk Nowitzki had one of his worst games in years, getting smothered by Cleveland's Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao and finishing with just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting.

"We were embarrassed in our own building," Nowitzki said. "It wasn't one of my nights."

Nor was it for any of the other Mavericks.

Stackhouse sits: Jerry Stackhouse couldn't remember the last time he was held out of a game when he wasn't injured, but he got a rare "did not play-coach's decision" against the Cavaliers.

Stackhouse has been fighting a sore right foot, but he said he was fine. He referred questions about sitting to Carlisle, who said: "It was a coach's decision, and out of respect for him, I elected not to ask him to go in the game at the end."

Stackhouse struggled with his shot in the first two games, going 2-for-11.

Carlisle said that he's keeping his options open at shooting guard. He started Stackhouse on Saturday at Minnesota, and Antoine Wright has started the two home games.

"I don't like jerking guys in and out of the lineup," he said. "It's going to be ongoing. At the same time, we've got to find something that makes sense and is working."