EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New Jersey Nets have the challenge of finding a way to stop, or at least slow, Kobe Bryant. But that task will likely only last for another game or two, given the Los Angeles Lakers' 3-0 advantage in the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

Then the task of containing Bryant will shift back to the rest of the teams in the NBA. And it won't get any easier, because Bryant says his best days are ahead, though he has no idea how high his ceiling for excellence is, physically or mentally.

"Usually, players don't peak until they reach 28, 29, 30 years old, so I'm not even close to my physical capabilities," said Bryant. "That's why I'm training so hard. I'm just going to continue to improve, continue to get better. We have an incredible coaching staff, and I'll continue to learn on a day-to-day basis. So, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see when I reach that age."

Considering Bryant won't turn 24 until late August, that means the league has at least four more years of his enormous upside, as he continues to learn the game while playing at a remarkably high level.

"Kobe's the best player in the league," said Shaquille O'Neal, his Lakers teammate. "The scary thing about that is he doesn't think he's the best and he wants to get better, and he will get better."

Said ESPN analyst Quinn Buckner: "He's so much more mature than people his age. And I don't doubt that having experienced some of the international flavor, having been raised in Italy, with a broader perspective, has helped him understand the balance that needs to be in life."

It's hard to imagine Bryant can play much better than he has in the Finals, where he has been spectacular. Bryant has done whatever Los Angeles has needed, whether it's leading the Lakers in assists, defending either New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd or off guard Kerry Kittles or making big shots.

In the last category, Bryant has been amazing. His pair of three-pointers at the end of the fourth quarter of Game 2 served as the punctuation to the Lakers' 106-83 win.

Bryant saved his best for Sunday's Game 3, when he scored a game-high 36 points, including the game-winning basket with 19.3 seconds to go, a tough one-handed turnaround in the lane, with Kidd and Kittles draped all over him.

"I know he took it on as a special challenge," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "He missed two foul shots 23 seconds earlier. That's something that Kobe really prides himself on, is standing up in the clutch and putting things together for this team."

Indeed, Bryant's 27.3 points per game in this series would put him in line to be the Most Valuable Player of the Finals were it not for the dominance of center O'Neal, who scored 35 Sunday and is averaging 37 points and 13 rebounds for the series.

In fact, if there's anything in Bryant's six years in Los Angeles that has slowed his blossoming into full stardom, it has been the constant presence of O'Neal in the middle.

"I think sometimes he needs more room so he could operate," said O'Neal. "He's just a great player. He's come a long way. I'm just glad that he's on my team, and I'm just glad that he's playing with me. I'm just glad to be part of that one-two punch."

Jackson convinced Bryant he had to be the complement to O'Neal, and, in return, O'Neal would recognize his dominance and give Bryant more and more space to work.

"I really had to sacrifice my game for the benefit of the team," Bryant said. "I think the first two games of the series, it was just a classic example of our growth and our maturity, of me being able to take a couple steps back. They had no answer for Shaquille, [so I] just had to let him dominate the game. I think that's where I've really grown."

As for Bryant's game, Jackson is looking for Bryant, an All-Defensive Team selection the past two years, to be even better defensively, as well as refining his decision-making on whether to shoot or penetrate and pass.

"That judgment is very important," said Jackson. "His judgment's increased tremendously over the last few years."

NOTE: With the Lakers dominating the NBA Finals, overnight ratings plummeted by 26 percent for Sunday's key Game 3.

The Lakers' 106-103 victory for a 3-0 series lead over the Nets drew a rating of 11.8 and a 19 share in the nation's 53 largest markets, down from a 16.0 rating and a 26 share for the third game a year ago.

The full national ratings will be out later this week.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use. Share is the percentage of homes with TVs in use.