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Until the Dallas Mavericks find some consistency, the voices saying they need a change will keep growing louder.

And just as they always have, Avery Johnson and his players will continue ignoring them.

"Last year we were winning 17 in a row and 16 (actually 13) in a row, and the loud voices said it's just the regular season. Now we've lost a few games, now the loud voices have another opinion," Johnson said. "When you're a championship-caliber team, the voices are always going to be loud. The criticism is always going to be loud, but the rewards, the potential for the rewards, can be great.

"I would imagine Phoenix has some loud voices. San Antonio probably not as much because they're the four-time champion and that's what happens when you win championships. But for the rest of us — like the Clevelands and us and Phoenix and teams like that — voices are going to always be loud until you actually, you know, get over the hump. That's a part of this process."

The problem for the Mavericks is that process has included two straight playoff flameouts, giving plenty of ammunition to the critics who question their mental toughness.

Dallas blew a 2-0 lead — and a big cushion late in Game 3 — while falling to Miami in six games in the 2006 NBA finals.

The Mavericks bounced back to win 67 games last season, then were eliminated by eighth-seeded Golden State in the first round, one of the biggest upsets in postseason history. That was enough for the skeptics who said the Mavs couldn't bring back the same core group for 2007-08 — that changes had to be made.

"Some things are going to always come," Johnson said. "When we took over as coach, the voices were, 'Well, we didn't know if the new guy could win with this team.' And then once we started winning, then, 'We don't know if Dirk (Nowitzki) is the MVP.' Then he was the MVP.

"Then, 'We don't know if Josh Howard is an All-Star.' Then he's an All-Star. 'We don't know if he can get 40 (points).' Now he's gotten 40.

"So there's always going to be some voice. That's a part of what we sign up for and I love it."

To quiet those voices, the Mavs will have to play better....

Like many NBA draft picks, Kevin Durant prepared for the start of his professional basketball career by playing in the Las Vegas summer league.

The Seattle rookie later received even better training in Vegas.