Any doubts about the Hawks' acquisition of Shareef Abdur-Rahim were put to rest in a big way Tuesday.

Abdur-Rahim, a Marietta native who was acquired for two players and the third pick in last summer's draft, had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hawks to a 97-95 victory over the Pacers in the exhibition opener. Abdur-Rahim was 9-for-9 from the field and added four assists in 28 minutes.

"And the best thing about him is that he is so unselfish," general manager Pete Babcock said. "When your best player is that way it's easier for everybody else to play that way."

The game wasn't decided until the final seconds --- DerMarr Johnson tipped in Ira Newble's missed shot with 0.3 seconds. It was the first game under the new defensive rules for both teams, and the changes didn't appear to affect either team until the game bogged down late in the fourth quarter.