Mike Brown's philosophy is, and has always been, "one day, one game at a time." During the course of a grueling 82-game schedule, it's a tenet that truly comes in handy. It keeps the Cavaliers from getting too high after a win and too low after a loss.

That's why we shouldn't read too much into Wednesday night's loss in Detroit. It was only their second loss in the month of November and a game in which the Cavaliers led by 13 points in the second half. But it also raises a couple of question marks about how legitimate the Cavaliers are as contenders in the East. They've beaten the Nets and the Bulls and the Bobcats. But they've fallen back into old habits against teams like the Celtics and the Pistons.

But it's also important to remember that, for as good as they looked during their recent eight-game run, they're still a work in progress. Mike Brown still hasn't solidified his rotation, there still might be moves to be made, Boobie will snap out of his slump and J.J. Hickson will learn to go straight up with the ball after grabbing a rebound.

Mike Brown was visibly bothered by the loss. He was as upset after Wednesday's defeat as he's been all season. And it actually had little to do with the fact that it snapped a win streak.

"(Detroit) turned it up with their pressure and we didn't respond at all," lamented Brown. "We didn't respond well at all in the second half to their aggressive play and that was disappointing tonight."

More than anything, the Cavaliers need to win in Detroit (and Boston) to get over the mental aspect of playing at The Palace. They've lost four straight there, and LeBron's 48-point performance in the Eastern Conference Finals there seems like it was a long time ago.

Mo Williams almost single-handedly kept the Cavaliers in the ballgame, netting 13 points in the final period. Williams has been red-hot over the past week, averaging over 21 points per contest.

"Down the stretch they made plays," said Williams. "It's two good teams and it comes down to who makes plays down the stretch. It was 11 at the half but that's nothing against good teams. If it had been the other way around, we would have made a run. After 'Sheed hit those buckets, they went up eight and we started to press - trying to make something happen."

It's still too early to tell, but the preseason outlook that it could be a three-team race in the East looks to be shaping up just like that. Detroit looked great on Wednesday, but got crushed on Thursday night in Beantown. The Cavaliers haven't topped either team this season and probably won't get the respect they deserve until they do. (Unfortunately they don't get another shot at Boston until January 3 at The Q or Detroit until February 1 back in Motown.)

In the meantime, the Wine and Gold have another winning streak to try to assemble, beginning with Saturday's showdown with the Hawks, who have come back down to earth after running off six straight to start the season.

That game tips off a tough run for the Cavaliers. They'll get Sunday and Monday off, but next week, the Thanksgiving holiday is sandwiched by four games in five nights: a back-to-back with New York and Oklahoma City before Turkey Day and a back-to-back with Golden State and Milwaukee afterwards.

But before they worry about next week's tetrad, they have to focus on Atlanta. Every eight-game win streak starts with one game, one day at a time.