Instead he went for the win with a 3-point bomb.

The gamble failed, but it said something about the confidence and the goals of the revitalized Boston Celtics this season.

They are going for it all — just like the good old days.

"I thought I had a good look at a three," he said. "I could have drove and tied the game up, but I went with my instincts. It felt right."

When his shot bounced off the rim and into the hands of Dwight Howard, time expired, sending the Celtics (8-1) to their first loss of this promising season, 104-102, to the Orlando Magic.

Pierce finished with a game-high 28 points, leading a second-half comeback that erased a 20-point deficit, giving the Celtics a chance to build on the best record in the NBA.

"I knew we weren't going to go 82-0," Pierce said. "Unfortunately, we came up short. We're definitely a team now that people will get up to play against every night. And that's a good thing."

The Celtics are expecting the biggest turnaround in the NBA this season. They won just 24 games last season, prompting a major overhaul that brought Western Conference All-Stars Kevin Garnett (Minnesota) and Ray Allen (Seattle) to Boston.

The fast start certainly fueled expectations, which is what made last night's game a highly charged affair, pitting the two best records in the Eastern Conference.

"I'm not worried about the Orlando Magic. This is about us getting better. There are 29 other teams in the league," said Allen, who had 19 points, including 11 in the final period. "We didn't win anything (during the unbeaten streak). There is nothing to reflect on. We're just learning how to win."

The Celtics are banking on the Pierce/Allen/Garnett combination to lead them back to prominence, where they haven't been consistently since the '80s.

Of the three, only Pierce played especially well yesterday. Allen made seven of 17 shots, but he hit only two of his eight 3-pointers. Garnett, often the most versatile player in the league, had 14 points, 11 rebounds and one assist, all numbers well below his averages this season. He was in foul trouble through much of the game, fouling out well before Pierce's final shot.

"This is not Minnesota," said Boston Coach Doc Rivers. "He can have a game that's not typical Garnett, and we can still win. He has help here. It's not going to be there every night for the three of them, but we will still win."

After spending his entire career in Minnesota, Garnett wasn't going to lament his first loss with Boston. The T'wolves missed the playoffs the last three years he was there.