More than any other team in the Doc Rivers era, these Celtics lust for the 3-point shot. Only two teams have taken more shots from long range than the Celtics so far this season - the Magic, who live by the three, and the Knicks, who die by it.

Through the first eight games, it’s hard to say the Celtics (7-1) haven’t thrived on it, particularly after seeing them drown Charlotte (11), Chicago (12), and Philadelphia (14) in a shower of treys. Their 40.3 percentage from behind the arc is sixth-best in the league, third in the East.

But if there are two questions, they are: “How many is too many?’’ and “Which ones do you actually want to take?’’ After starting the season shredding the nets from long distance, the Celtics have gone 10 for 47 from 3-point range in the past three games.

But having players such as Ray Allen, Eddie House, Paul Pierce, and Rasheed Wallace who are comfortable setting up behind the 3-point line, and facing opponents who continually give them good looks means the long ball will be a part of the team’s DNA throughout the season.

“We get a lot of open looks,’’ said Pierce, who’s knocked down 16 of his 31 3-point attempts this season. “You see the guys we have on the floor, the way we suck in the defense.

“I don’t think it’s a thing where we force the three. I mean, you’ve got a guy like Rasheed that’s taking the shot - they’re leaving him open and he’s a guy that can knock down those shots. We’re taking a lot, but teams are giving them to us, and we’re one of the best 3-point-shooting teams in the league.’’

“If you’re getting an open look, you’ve got to take it,’’ said House, 12 of 27 on threes. “Certain guys like myself, Ray, and Paul, you get that opportunity to take that shot, it’s just as good as a 2-point shot. We just try to take open shots where it’s in rhythm.

“Nothing really too much contested or forced; we just try to let it come in the flow of the game.’’

Wallace has taken more threes (50) than Allen (35), but Rivers has said he doesn’t mind his team shooting treys.

“I’m not that upset by them,’’ Rivers said. “I really am not. It’s not like we’re shooting them poorly. The last few games we haven’t been shooting them great, but I don’t make a big deal of them.’’

The Celtics have played more games and thus have taken more shots than most of the teams in the league, but 19.2 3-pointers a night is more than Rivers’s Celtics teams have been known to shoot.

But in Rivers’s last two full seasons in Orlando, the Magic were among the top three in trey attempts.

Of course, it was the Magic who used the 3-pointer to great effect against the Celtics in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals, when they hit 56 of 162 in winning the seven-game series.

There’s a certain kind of long-distance shot the Celtics are looking for. It comes after good ball movement, and it’s almost always a result of the offense working it from the inside out.

They made 32 treys in their first three games and all but one of them came via an assist. Of point guard Rajon Rondo’s first 37 assists, 14 led to threes.

“With the three-ball, you want to establish the game, you don’t want to start the game off shooting threes,’’ said Allen. “That’s the difference in shooting a lot of threes. We have [great] 3-point shooters on this team. And with pick-and-roll coverages, it’s so wide open out there, especially with Rasheed out there.

“So it’s hard to say what a good number is, what a bad number is, or if you’re shooting too many. But sometimes that’s what teams are giving up, and we’ve got guys that are more than capable.

“Guys on this team can shoot it. But we’ve always got to be conscious of mixing it up, building the game from the inside out.’’

Julian Benbow can be reached at jbenbow@globe.com.