Week That Was: Knicks hit new low, thanks to Richardson's mouth

Here's what the final week of November will be most remembered for:

1. Quentin Richardson opened his mouth about the Boston Celtics and promptly had it shut for him.

Comments by Quentin Richardson (left) only made it harder for the Knicks vs. Boston. (AP)

"It's like the media makes more of The Big Three and all of them. We're not in awe of them. They ain't won no championships. They have a good record right now, but that don't matter. Dallas showed that. They're not that deep of a team," Richardson said. "After those three, there's a significant drop-off."

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined for 50 points in Thursday night's beatdown of the Knicks, which means that those responsible for the aforementioned "significant drop-off" came within five points (59-54) of outscoring New York's entire roster.

In a nationally televised embarrassment, the Celtics handed the Knicks a 45-point setback, the third-most devastating defeat in team history. It was so bad that Nate Robinson's half-court shot at the fourth quarter buzzer served to save Isiah Thomas' team from the lowest scoring output in Knickerbockers annals. Thanks, Isiah. Just when we think you can't go any lower, you break out the limbo king cape and set a new standard. This time, Richardson helped; he shot 3-for-12, although he was one of the few Knicks to show a pulse.

I've pleaded for Thomas to resign, called for his firing and started the death watch for weeks now, so there's no point in continuing to conjecture how low New York can go. Its demise seems to be a bottomless pit, one catastrophe following another.

2. Phil Jackson alleviated months of speculation that he'd be hanging out in Montana permanently or coaching the Knicks in 2008 by agreeing to a two-year, $24 million contract extension that will keep him on the Lakers sideline through 2010. Jackson long maintained that he wanted to see if his health would hold up to the rigors of coaching through the NBA marathon and reached the conclusion that he'll be physically able to as he gets closer to the age of 65. Jackson was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past September and will have at least a couple more opportunities to surpass Red Auerbach by earning his 10th championship, with his hopes realistically riding on how much more Andrew Bynum improves.

3. LeBron James turned that building in Auburn Hills into his Palace last spring, scoring Cleveland's final 25 points in the fourth quarter to win a critical Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. In his highly anticipated first appearance since, things didn't turn out as well. The Pistons made a concerted effort to get physical with him every time he went to the basket and one of their fouls had serious consequences, when a Nazr Mohammed slap wound up spraining his left index finger. Without James to deal with, Detroit outscored the Cavs 61-31 in the second half and won easily. James' injury wasn't considered too serious, but his short absence hammered home the point of how lost Cleveland is without him.

4. That Golden State Warriors team we came to know and fell in love with late last season is back. Just think, it only took Stephen Jack-o (Wacko?) Jackson coming back for them to re-emerge. Jackson, who revels in his leadership role under Don Nelson and comfortable that he won't be pulled for mistakes in a free-flowing offense where turnovers are expected to be a part of the deal and overcoming that and looking to the next play is a prerequisite to being effective. After pasting Houston to win their fifth consecutive game, the Warriors are now back over .500 after an 0-6 start. During that stretch, Jackson is averaging 23.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Meanwhile, you can expect teammate Baron Davis to be named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday; he's averaged over 25 points, five rebounds, three steals and close to eight assists in wins over Phoenix, Sacramento and Houston.

5. Houston's Steve Francis hit what ultimately was a game-winning layup in a critical road win in Phoenix, re-emerging from the depths of Rick Adelman's bench and making himself a factor for a Rockets team that has struggled after a fast start. Point guard play has been one of the points of emphasis over the past few weeks, so don't be surprised if Francis gets an opportunity to mix it up in a starting five with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. As long as he grows comfortable not being the go-to guy, which his multiple DNP-CDs likely quelled, he could emerge as a factor.

6. Rashard Lewis is in a prolonged shooting slump that started when he couldn't hit several open 3-pointers in a blowout of Charlotte on Nov. 23. The dry spell was punctuated with a 3-for-19 effort in his return to Seattle, a homecoming he was admittedly looking forward to. Entering Friday night's game at Phoenix, Lewis is shooting 20-for-64 (31 pct.) in his previous four games, which includes a 4-for-29 clip (14 pct.) from 3-point range. Remarkably, Orlando has won every one of those outings by double-digits, which tells you how well the Magic are playing.

7. Coaches started getting antsy with current results and turned to lineup changes to shake things up. Pat Riley pulled Jason Williams and Ricky Davis out in an effort to strengthen the bench, inserting Chris Quinn and Penny Hardaway in their place. Scott Skiles already plugged in Andres Nocioni as an undersized power forward last week, but sat struggling Kirk Hinrich in the second half of a win over Atlanta in favor of the more effective Chris Duhon. Dallas head coach Avery Johnson decided he needed more punch to begin games and restored the partnership of Sixth Man Jason Terry and Devin Harris in his backcourt.