DALLAS -- Consider the Mavs the kings of crunch time during these NBA playoffs.

Well, there was that one little slip-up. They certainly didn’t slam the door in Game 4 at the Rose Garden, when they blew a 23-point lead in their last loss. Even with that meltdown in the mix, the Mavs’ performance in the clutch this postseason has been simply phenomenal.

Just check their numbers in the moments widely considered clutch, which is when the score is within five points with five minutes or less remaining. The Mavs have outscored their playoff foes by 29 points in 19 such minutes.

The Mavs performing well in clutch situations is certainly nothing new. They’re 29-12 in games decided by three points or less under coach Rick Carlisle. But they’ve taken it to a totally different level during the playoffs.

According to NBA.com’s Stats Cube, the Mavs’ clutch net rating (points per 100 possessions) in the playoffs is plus 73.91. That dwarfs their outstanding regular season clutch net rating of plus 25.12.

“Well, it helps to have Dirk,” Jason Kidd said. “When you have a go-to guy, nobody panics. You kind of welcome that atmosphere and that stage. We always are under control and try to make the right play. It helps to be able to go to a guy like Dirk who really welcomes that stage.”

How dominant has Dirk Nowitzki been during playoff crunch time? He has 25 points and no turnovers during those 19 clutch minutes. His true shooting percentage (which factors in the value of free throws and 3-pointers) during that time is an off-the-charts 82.5.

But Dirk’s numbers, as ridiculous as they are, aren’t the most impressive thing about the Mavs’ playoff clutch dominance. That would be their defense.

The Mavs are allowing only 84.95 points per 100 clutch possessions during the playoffs. By comparison, no team allowed fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions during the regular season.

Kidd won’t take credit, but he shut down the man considered the game’s greatest closer during crunch time. Kobe Bryant had one bucket and two turnovers while Kidd defended him down the stretch of the two close games during the Mavs’ sweep of the Lakers.

“It’s just believing, helping one another and understanding since training camp that the teams that play defense have won championships,” Kidd said.

Carlisle offered two simple reasons for the Mavs’ clutch prowess: experience and personnel.

“Dirk and Jet [Jason Terry] are two of the best fourth-quarter scorers in the whole league,” Carlisle said. “Jason Kidd is Jason Kidd. Whoever the other two guys are on the court, whether it’s Tyson [Chandler] or Brendan [Haywood] or [Peja] Stojakovic or Shawn [Marion] or maybe a smaller guy, they’ve all been out there a lot in those situations.

“But you know how it is. Going forward, none of that guarantees you anything in those situations other than we’ve been there a lot.”

It also guarantees that the Mavs will feel good about their chances to pull out a win in a tight game against either the Thunder or Grizzlies, two teams that didn’t exactly put on a clutch execution exhibition during their three-overtime game the other night.