The Knicks started their week off right, first breaking their nine-game losing streak by blowing out Jason Kidd and the Nets on Thursday night in Brooklyn (113-83) and then easily exposing all of the Magic's secrets at the Garden on Friday (121-83). But it wouldn't be the 2013-14 season if the Knicks didn't do something to wipe away all of their progress and horrify their fans. At least they did it with style: they were absolutely annihilated at home by an unimpressive Celtics team (114-73) in a game that was not even as close as its 41-point margin.

The up-and-sharply-down week left the Knicks at 5-14, still the worst record in the worst division in basketball. It left their fans as despondent as they've been in years. Losing nine straight is bad, but winning by 30-plus two games in a row and then laying an egg on your home court just as your fans start to convince themselves things are going to be okay is just cruel.

What Went Right This Week: Putting aside the loss to the Celtics for a moment, there were some promising developments for the Knicks this week. First, they showed they aren't in quite as much of a morass as the injury-ravaged Nets, who they dominated on the "road." Melo moved the ball all game, worked well in the pick-and-roll with Amar'e Stoudemire and had nineteen points and ten rebounds in just 31 minutes in Brooklyn.

For his part, Amar'e scored eleven points on 5-6 shooting and told Joe Johnson not to be fakin' the funk in his presence.

Iman Shumpert had his best game of the season in Brooklyn, shooting 5-7 from three on his way to seventeen points. He didn't rack up his points in garbage time, either. Shump's shooting from the outside quieted Brooklyn every time the game started to get tight.

The highlight of the "Battle of the Boroughs," however, was Andrea Bargnani getting old-school Brooklyn with Kevin Garnett. Bargnani, perhaps exacting a bit of revenge on behalf of European players everywhere, started the game by blowing by KG for a dunk.

Then, he refused to back down when Garnett got into his usual "I'm not touching you" antics.

Last but certainly not least, he made a three over Garnett and got himself kicked out of the game as his teammates celebrated.

After the game, Garnett said he didn't know what Bargnani said to him to get ejected because he "doesn't speak Italian." To which Bargnani, who managed sixteen points on thirteen shots despite the ejection, said "I wasn't speaking Italian." Andrea Bargnani eviscerated Kevin Garnett Thursday night, on-court and in the newspaper. It's almost definitely the highlight of his career.

Against Orlando, it was more of the same. The Knicks moved the ball, shot the lights out and ran the Magic off the Garden floor. The win was punctuated with an emphatic slam from Iman Shumpert, who told reporters before the game that he was "mad at the world."

Rage on, young Iman.

Still playing without Tyson Chandler, the Knicks went super-small at times against the Magic, matching up with Orlando's undersized front line by playing Melo and Artest as their power forward and center during the third quarter. It worked, as the Knicks opened up a twenty-point lead and put the game away. Despite the success, the Knicks are anxious to get Chandler back and got some good news as he resumed practicing yesterday and said he plans to play before the end of the month.

That was how the Knicks went into Sunday afternoon's game against the Celtics: moving the ball well, shooting threes like it was last season (over the two games they were 33-61 from downtown), showing some creativity and, seemingly, getting back on the right track. Even JR Smith was coming off a strong performance (he had seventeen points and six boards on 6-11 shooting against the Magic).

What Went Wrong This Week: Well rested, relaxed and taking on a 9-12 Celtics team playing without Rajon Rondo, Sunday looked like it would be another easy win. And it was, for the Celtics, who jumped out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. The Knicks' two-game winning streak was ancient history by the time the Celtics ended the first quarter up 34-11.

The fans booed heartily. Shumpert, Bargnani, Smith and Felton shot a combined 2-24 from the field. Every Celtics starter scored thirteen or more points; just one of the Knicks' starting five did the same (Melo, with an uninspiring nineteen on 5-15 shooting). Household names Jordan Crawford and Jared Sullinger shredded the Knicks, breezing their way to 23 and 21 respectively. The offense was a mess, Raymond Felton got benched in the second half and Carmelo Anthony was an eye-popping -40. The 41-point loss was the worst in the NBA this season.

There are plenty of excuses for losing games: injuries (in addition to Chandler, the Knicks were also without Kenyon Martin), poor shooting (the Knicks shot just 34% from the field) and hot shooting by an opponent (54% for the Celtics) are just a few. There are, however, no excuses for losing by 41 points at home to a team that isn't very good. Not orange jerseys (the Knicks are 0-6 in their new home alternates), not being "a team that struggles in day games" (which the Knicks definitely do but is still no excuse). The Knicks' performance Sunday was a complete embarrassment. There's just no other way to put it. Another loss or two like that and Mike Woodson will be writing daily reports like Lawrence Frank.

Knick of the Week: Iman Shumpert had two of his best games of the season this week and the Knicks had their two best wins. That's not a coincidence. The Knicks need a lot of things: Tyson Chandler's return, better play from Raymond Felton and JR Smith and more Pablo Prigioni, among others. But they also need Iman Shumpert to play like he's capable of: with aggression, athleticism and enthusiasm. He did that against Brooklyn and Orlando and the Knicks got the job done. Honorable mention goes to Kenyon Martin, who suddenly seems like the Knicks' best passer.

Anything Funny?: Two wins deserve a joke, if only to lighten the mood. The TNT broadcast of the Knicks-Nets game featured Charles Barkley announcing the game along with Steve Kerr and Marv Albert. Discussing Lawrence Frank, who had just been fired by the Nets, Barkley said, "you get fired, you must have done something." After a moment Albert responded, "That's not always true, Charles." Albert, fans of a certain age might recall, was fired by James Dolan not for his diaper/biting sex scandal but for being too critical of the Knicks when he was announcing their games.

Up Next: Pretend Boston beat the Knicks by fourteen instead of 41 and things don't look all that bad. The Knicks play three more sub-.500 teams this week, starting in Cleveland tonight and then taking on the Bulls at the Garden Wednesday. They finish the week by traveling to Boston in search of revenge on Friday. It's another week of opportunity for the Knicks. Hopefully they won't screw it up.

You can follow Jonathan Fishner on Twitter @therealkingfish, and check out his blog The Real King Fish.