They say “a stitch in time saves nine,” but Steve Kerr learned that the hard way. Jimmy Butler had already sounded the alarm on the Golden State Warriors’ defensive issues, yet Kerr chose to wait. Then the Jazz smacked Golden State with an 11-0 start, exposing every gap. And when Keyonte George drilled his fourth wide-open three, Kerr’s patience vanished because now the warning signs were impossible to ignore.

Kerr chalked it up to a “lack of focus,” and Stephen Curry didn’t disagree. The Warriors had mapped out a clear plan to contain Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen, and that early timeout helped them reset. But while Kerr brushed it off as a momentary lapse, Curry sees something deeper.

“That’s the biggest thing. Understanding how they’re trying to score, who’s going to have the bal

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