This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Tim Duncan played his way into Utahns' lives for 20 years, and suddenly he's gone. His absence from basketball already feels weird.

The celebration of Duncan's career, which ended Monday when he announced his retirement from the San Antonio Spurs, will last a lot longer than he may welcome. To me, this is not the moment to debate whether Duncan truly played power forward (as opposed to center) or whether he played the position better than the Jazz's Karl Malone — although the universal answers to those questions increasingly seem to be "yes" and "yes."

What's important is recognizing Duncan's lasting example as a player who let his performance speak for itself. He may have responded incredulously to nearly every call that went against him, but he otherwise was a model of just going out there and playing the game, without bringing attention to himself. He'll be remembered as the ultimate throwback player for a throwback franchise.

And speaking of a bygone era, imagine this: Duncan, of Wake Forest, and Utah's Keith Van Horn were seniors during the 1996-97 season, on their way to becoming the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the NBA draft, when they met at the Huntsman Center on New Year's Eve. Van Horn scored 24 points to Duncan's 23, but the No. 2-ranked Demon Deacons took a 70-59 victory over No. 7 Utah in a landmark game in Ute history.

Considering each team's run of consistency, it is surprising how infrequently the Jazz and Spurs met in the playoffs in Duncan's time. Yet Duncan's occasionally crossing paths with the Jazz provided some checkpoints for everybody involved.

In 1998, Duncan's rookie year, the Jazz beat San Antonio in five games in the Western Conference semifinals, on their way to another appearance in the NBA Finals.

In 2007, with the help of Golden State's upset of No. 1 seed Dallas, the Jazz reached the West finals as the high point of the Deron Williams-Carlos Boozer era in Utah, before losing to the Spurs in five games. Duncan went on to win the fourth of his five championships that year.

In 2012, the Jazz were swept by San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs.

What's interesting about those milestones is the Jazz haven't played in the Finals since '98, haven't reached the conference finals since '07 and haven't appeared in the playoffs at all since 2012. So the next time they achieve any of those things, Duncan's name will resurface.

Actually, he'll live forever around here, being discussed in a context of Malone and John Stockton and serving as a reference point for all of the Jazz figures who associated with him in San Antonio — including general manager Dennis Lindsey, coach Quin Snyder and newly acquired players George Hill and Boris Diaw, who helped Duncan win his last championship in 2014.

Last Friday, Hill spoke about how Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker influenced him on and off the court as he spent his first three years in the NBA with the Spurs. Work ethic, professionalism and community involvement are part of Duncan's legacy, reflected through Hill and other former teammates who have learned from him.

And you didn't have to be his teammate to appreciate him. Former Jazz forward Matt Harpring's admiration stemmed from a recruiting visit to Wake Forest (he signed with Georgia Tech) with Duncan as his host. "One of my favorite players of all time," Harpring once said. "I hold him up to a high regard. I just really enjoy the way he plays the game of basketball."

The immediate question becomes how much the loss of a 40-year-old Duncan will affect the Spurs in 2016-17. Not much, considering they've signed Pau Gasol — with the Jazz's help, via the trade of Boris Diaw that created salary cap space. But that's not to diminish Duncan's impact right to the end, as he posted 14 points and 11 rebounds in San Antonio's 96-78 win at Vivint Smart Home Arena in February. And in April, the Spurs edged the Jazz 88-86 for their 1,000th regular-season victory of the Duncan era — and one of the tough losses that kept the Jazz out of the 2016 playoffs.

Duncan's five championships, two league MVP awards and a 19-year career (like Stockton's) spent with one franchise are distinguishing achievements. The way he went about all of it will make him especially memorable, even if being remembered was not necessarily his goal.

Twitter: @tribkurt —

Duncan vs. Jazz

Notable performances for Tim Duncan against the Jazz during his 19-year NBA career:

Feb. 21, 1998 • As a rookie, Duncan scores 29 points, but misses two free throws (one intentionally) with 0.6 seconds left in a 79-77 loss.

April 23, 1999 • Duncan's 36 points power the Spurs to an 83-69 win in Salt Lake City, breaking the Jazz's 11-game winning streak.

Jan. 10, 2000 • Duncan scores 19 of his 46 points in the fourth quarter of a 93-86 victory.

Jan. 24, 2003 • Topping a 29-point, 17-rebound effort, Duncan hits a 15-foot turnaround shot at the buzzer, giving San Antonio a 91-90 win.

May 20, 2007 • Duncan's 27 points help the Spurs take a 108-100 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

May 7, 2012 • Duncan contributes 11 points in an 87-81 win as the Spurs complete a first-round playoff sweep.

April 5, 2016 • Duncan scores only three points in 24 minutes, but the Spurs claim their 1,000th regular-season win with him on the roster, 88-86. —

Duncan vs. Van Horn

The point totals told only part of the story on New Year's Eve 1996 when Tim Duncan's Wake Forest team played Keith Van Horn's Utah team at the Huntsman Center. Duncan posted 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting, plus 16 rebounds and eight assists. Van Horn's 24-point effort came via 10-of-25 shooting and he had four rebounds in a 70-59 loss. "Typical Tim Duncan in a big game," said Wake Forest coach Dave Odom.