Can Vintage Tony Parker Return San Antonio Spurs to NBA Playoffs Glory?

Tony Parker has finally returned to vintage form for the San Antonio Spurs, subsequently leading the defending champions to their best basketball of the season.

Following a four-game losing streak that allowed seemingly reasonable doubt to overshadow the roster, Gregg Popovich's team has won 11 of its last 14 contests, including a 130-91 beatdown of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

And unsurprisingly, Parker was the pre-eminent reason for the absolute thrashing. OKC was certainly short-handed, but 39-point victories don't happen on accident.

The point guard tallied 21 points, six assists, six rebounds and three steals, bettering Russell Westbrook on both sides of the floor in what was a continuation of a torrid month.

While Parker worked to find a comfortable level of play in February, he managed just 28.0 minutes, 12.5 points on 39.6 percent shooting and 5.0 dimes per game.

Throughout March, however, the point guard has tallied 31.0 minutes, 19.0 points on 56.2 percent shooting and 5.3 assists per game in what is undoubtedly his most efficient stretch of season No. 14.

Parker has shifted to another, more aggressive gear, attacking the rim and creating shooting spaces from unquestionably clogged areas. His initial return from a hamstring injury showed uncharacteristic timidity near the lane and settled-for jumpers.

That's no longer happening as often, now that Parker has moved past the temporary lack of explosiveness that comes along with such an ailment.

The Spurs have needed every bit of his increased production in order to contend for the elusive second straight NBA championship.

After averaging 36.3 minutes, 20.4 points and 6.9 assists per outing during the 2012 and 2013 postseasons combined (35 games), Parker logged just 31.3, 17.4 and 4.8, respectively, last year—and for good reason.

During the championship run, the Spurs showed they didn't need the starters to take on a significant amount of extra playing time in order to succeed thanks to a highly productive bench.

But the reserves have been nowhere near the efficiency displayed in 2014, as highlighted by ESPN's Matthew Tynan.

Consistency, familiarity, and rhythm are major parts of success in this sport. Bringing up the fact that these players have missed so much time isn't an excuse, it's a valid form of reasoning. Last season, that 4-man group just destroyed people. They scored nearly 120 points per 100 possessions and outscored their opposition by 22.6 points per 100 possessions while boasting a patently absurd 64.9 true-shooting percentage. Those numbers have crashed to a miserable offensive-efficiency rating of 92 and a true-shooting mark of 49.7 percent this season.

Consequently, the Parker-led starting and clutch-time units must carry a heavier burden for San Antonio, which currently occupies the sixth-place standing in the West. And that means his minutes may jump back up to his 2012 and 2013 numbers.

However, nights like Wednesday showed the 32-year-old is still capable of shouldering that load—at least as the catalyst. The Spurs pushed the pace on the Thunder, tossing 25-foot inbounds or outlet passes to Parker to start nearly every possession.

He helped San Antonio start fast by scoring 13 points in the opening frame, but lackluster defense from the backups allowed Westbrook and OKC to keep it tight for 17 minutes. But then Parker returned.

The Spurs ripped off a 30-13 advantage over the final seven minutes of the second quarter, flying up and down the court behind their backcourt leader.

Parker didn't pour in buckets during that stretch, but the Thunder were forced to chase him around the offensive end, which created space and uncontested looks for his teammates. For San Antonio to make another deep postseason run, it'll need the same thing from Parker on a nightly basis.

Increased efficiency from the reserves would bolster the team, but it's still not advancing through the West without the elite version of Parker.

Although Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard have been fantastic, Parker is the key player in San Antonio's hopes to register a repeat title. March has shown he's capable of leading the Spurs to playoff glory once again, and Wednesday night provided more evidence to that.

However, it can only happen if Parker has enough energy to negate any lack of bench production and maintain his vintage form.

Unless otherwise noted, stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference and are accurate as of March 25.

Follow Bleacher Report NBA writer David Kenyon on Twitter: @Kenyon19_BR.