The Cleveland Cavaliers' awful start to the season continued last night as they were thumped at home by the New York Knicks.

Despite coming into the game with a 1-2 record, the Knicks sensed the Cavs were there for the taking and came away with a convincing 114-95 win on the road.

It's Cleveland's third straight loss and fourth of the campaign. They have lost those games by an average margin of 16 points.

Worryingly, those defeats have now come against the Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic.

According to the Basketball Power Index, this is one of the easiest set of games for any team in the league this season.

There are many reasons for the Cavs' horrible start, most notably their non-existent defence, but head coach Tyronn Lue provided an interesting theory for one of the causes of their struggles.

Lue says that their poor form could be down to the fact that new players find it "intimidating" to play with LeBron James.

"Guys have got to understand that LeBron, he's a giving person, he's a giving player," Lue said, per Cleveland.com. "You've got to come in and play your game, and we'll adjust.

“I think a lot of times we defer to LeBron, or guys are scared to be aggressive because of that. He's not that type of player at all, so we've got to talk about that on Tuesday: guys being who you are, being aggressive and playing your game."

He could be referring mainly to Jae Crowder, who joined the Cavs in the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics.

The small forward is currently averaging 7.3 points on 6.6 shots and has found it hard to get adjusted to his new team and assert himself.

Derrick Rose has been a bright spark, however, and posted 15 points against his former Knicks team last night and Dwyane Wade has already had success playing with LeBron.

Another reason Lue offered was the physical shape the team is in as they're finding it difficult to contend with opponents who play at a fast pace.

He suggested his players must get fitter in order to overcome this slump and expects them to do so.

"Guys got to get in better shape, we understand that. A lot of times when we make runs, guys ask to come out because they're tired. It's got to be a balance: getting in shape but also being smart.

"I know we will. I know we can for sure. Older team, to drill and run 'em early in the season before training camp, with a shortened training camp, is tough, especially coming off three finals."

Lue will certainly be hoping for a reaction in front of their home fans against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night as they aim to end this losing streak.