Paul Pierce has had a rough season with the Celtics and shared his feelings about his recognition, his future and what Boston will do this summer.

"It's definitely another year gone by for me," Pierce told the Boston Herald in an interview published Friday. "It's another year we don't get into the postseason. It's another year I don't get recognized for the things I do. I'm the classic case of a great player on a bad team, and it stinks."

Pierce, a five-time All-Star, has suffered through injuries and an 18-game losing streak by Boston this season. Despite those difficulties, Pierce has managed to average 25 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

The Boston Celtics announce that center Michael Olowokandi will miss the remainder of the season due to a fractured cuboid bone in his left foot.

In 24 games this season off of the bench, Olowokandi averaged 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.8 minutes per game. The 7?0 center from University of the Pacific scored a season high eight points three times this season, most recently on March 17, 2007 in San Antonio against the Spurs.

Michael Olowokandi's season came to an end Monday when the team announced that the backup center has a fractured cuboid bone in his left foot.

Olowokandi re-signed with the team in the offseason as a free-agent after being acquired in the Wally Szczerbiak deal last January, and he appeared in 24 games this year for the Celtics. Olowokandi averaged 1.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in just under 10 minutes a game.

His best outing came against Tim Duncan in the Celtics streak-snapping win over the San Antonio Spurs on St. Patrick's Day, when he had eight points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks in a shade under 23 minutes of play.

The Celtics confirmed Sunday that the team had been fined $30,000 by the NBA for excessive contact with the family of Texas star and likely lottery draft pick Kevin Durant.

GM Danny Ainge sat next to Durant's mother during the Big 12 tournament. The league said Ainge violated rules demanding that contact be kept to a minimum between team executives and potential draft picks, until players officially declare for the draft.

The Boston Celtics celebrated St. Patrick's Day by beating the  Spurs in San Antonio for the first time in 17 years.

Paul Pierce scored 30 points, while Delonte West chipped in 23.

The NBA league offices reminded all of its clubs on Friday that no one is allowed to talk to any college basketball and said extensive fines would be put in place if anyone did such a thing.

In a memo by a member of the NBA's general counsel, the league announced three clubs were already fined for talking about prospective players such as Greg Oden and Kevin Durant who might leave college for the NBA after their freshman seasons.

The Charlotte Bobcats and the Golden State Warriors were fined $15,000 each because of public comments Michael Jordan and the Don Nelson made recently.

The Boston Celtics were the other team that was fined but their infraction was much worse. The club was fined $30,000 because the team's executive director Danny Ainge talked to Durant's family at a Big 12 tournament game last weekend.

While Ainge said only pleasantries were talked about during the exchange, the NBA said that did not matter.

Rich Buchanan, the lawyer who wrote the memo, explained the matter this way.

"The prohibition against indirect contact (with players who still have college eligibility) includes, among other things, communications with a player's family members, representatives, or friends, and extends to any public comments made by team personnel regarding a player."

Ben Wallace and Tyrus Thomas made the Boston Celtics pay for ignoring them.

Wallace had 19 points and 16 rebounds, Thomas scored a career-high 23 points, and the Chicago Bulls beat the Celtics 95-87 on Tuesday night.

Wallace made nine of a career-high 21 field goal attempts and fell just short of his career best of 22 points.

Most of Boston's attention turned to stopping Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, so Wallace made the most of the opportunities. Gordon only attempted seven shots.

"I like being left open," Wallace said.

"Me and B.G. (Gordon) switched roles. "I had some good looks. When the guards get doubled-teamed or tripled-team we have to help them out any way we can. I was open and trying to take the pressure off Kirk and B.G. tonight."

As he has done in previous seasons, Sonics forward Rashard Lewis erupted as Seattle lost 118-103 in Boston.

While everyone else spoke in hushed tones and doled out inane responses that made little sense, an emotional Lewis questioned the heart and desire of his teammates. He wondered if the Sonics are really serious when they talk about the playoffs or if it's just lip service. And he questioned why he wasn't a bigger part of the offense.

"I only had 11 shots tonight, and when you look at the stat sheet, everybody took more shots than me except for Damien [Wilkins]," said Lewis, who finished with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting. "I thought we pretty much [played poorly] the whole first half even though we had the lead by 12. I knew we were going to go into the second half not playing hard, and all it took was for them to get their little run. And they did and they got the momentum."

The Sonics were instructed to double-team Al Jefferson in the low post, but he finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds, both game highs.

They were supposed to deny Paul Pierce on the pick-and-rolls, but the Celtics forward had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

And they failed to account for Rajon Rondo (20 points) and Gerald Green (19 points), who repeatedly got behind the defense for easy baskets.

"We were lackadaisical on the game plan," Lewis said. "We just didn't do nothing that was on that board tonight."

Boston guard Delonte West sat out the Celtics' game against the SuperSonics because of a concussion.

West sustained a mild concussion in the third quarter of the Celtics' loss to the Rockets on Wednesday. He spent the night at New England Baptist Hospital and was released Thursday.

Boston coach Doc Rivers said he's unsure when West will return.

For the second consecutive year, the NBA plans to celebrate the St. Patrick?s Day holiday with three teams showcasing Special Edition NBA St. Patrick?s Day Uniforms. The Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks will wear specially designed green uniforms during select games beginning March 11.

Three additional teams will get into the holiday spirit during their home games: The Dallas Mavericks will don their green uniforms on March 14 against the Phoenix Suns; the Seattle Supersonics (vs. the Golden State Warriors) and the Milwaukee Bucks (vs. the Charlotte Bobcats) will wear their green road uniforms on March 17. The Sacramento Kings will offer festive St. Patrick?s Day T-shirts designed by adidas.

This is the second year of the St. Patrick?s Day uniform program, which was designed by the league as a way to celebrate specific holidays through limited-edition merchandise and fan gear.