The Miami Heat opened the Eastern Conference Finals with a dramatic overtime win, securing victory at the buzzer in overtime on a LeBron James layup.

With 2.2 seconds to go, James took an inbounds pass from Shane Battier and made a beeline for the rim to hit the final shot, making it a 103-102 win over the Indiana Pacers.

James notched his ninth career playoff triple double with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.

PHOTOS: Heat Top Pacers in Game 1

"Two teams fought hard," James said. "We were able to make one more play."

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, Chrish Bosh had 17 points, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen scored 16 points off the bench.

Seconds after Ray Allen missed one of two free throws that could have iced the game, Paul George forced overtime when he hit a 3-pointer from 32 feet with under a second to go in the fourth quarter.

He also appeared to give the Pacers a win in overtime when he drew a questionable foul call on Dwayne Wade while throwing up a desperation 3-pointer. He hit all three free throws to give the Pacers a one-point lead, but the reigning MVP made sure it would not last.

George scored 27 points, David West scored 26, and Roy Hibbert had 19 with 9 rebounds for Indiana.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage

Quizzically, Pacers coach Frank Vogel benched Hibbert on defense in the final two Heat possessions, likely fearing he would not be able to defend an outside shot from Chris Bosh. In both possessions, James drove to the hoop for go-ahead buckets.

"I would say we would probably have him in next time," Vogel said.

Early on it looked like the Pacers had lulled Miami into the kind of defensive slugfest that would normally favor Indiana. They led 42-37 at the half, forcing 13 Heat turnovers limiting James' and Bosh's minutes due to foul trouble.

Miami picked it up in the second half with a healthy dose of Andersen. Playing in a big lineup alongside Chris Bosh for stretches, he got multiple easy baskets at the rim by sneaking up on Hibbert on the weak side.

"Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Back and forth the whole way."

The Heat were out-rebounded by Indiana 43-38, but Miami had 16 offensive rebounds, including one in the final minute of overtime when Bosh made a putback (only his second rebound of the game) and got fouled, tying the game on the ensuing free throw.

"We're excited about the win," James said. "But we have to get better going into Game 2.

 The series continues with Game 2 on Friday night in Miami.

LeBron James scored 36 points for the Miami Heat, but could not give the Heat a win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami fell to the Indiana Pacers 97-93, ending the game on a 13-5 run.

"We just didn't finish the game like we're capable of," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said after the game.

Twice in the final minute Miami had a chance to tie the game down two points, but in both possessions Indiana forward David West deflected passes from the hands of James that turned into steals.

"Nothing broke down," Dwyane Wade said. "He's going to be hard on himself. He saw guys open, but West was able to get his arms out there at the last moment."

James added eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Chris Bosh scored 17 points, and Wade scored 14.

Roy Hibbert led Indiana with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Paul George scored 22 and West scored 13. George Hill scored 18 points, including two free throws with 8.3 seconds left to ice the game.

Students Fired Up for "White Hot Heat Day"

Miami trailed for almost the entire first half, shooting 44% and committing 9 turnovers while allowing Indiana to shoot 55%.

The Heat began to take control at the end of the third quarter, which closed with an incredible sequence. With 5.1 seconds left, George maneuvered around James in the lane and finished a highlight-reel dunk over Miami's Chris Andersen while getting fouled. He made the free throw, but then James launched on a three-pointer from 29 feet away to close the quarter

He and George slapped each other's hand after the buzzer in acknowledgement. It was the beginning of a streak in which James scored Miami's next eight points, and 10 of the Heat's 14, to help give Miami a 88-84 lead with 6 minutes remaining.

Roy Hibbert Calls Out Shane Battier for Foul

But the Heat could do little offensively through the remainder of regulation, giving the Pacers just enough time to come back.

The Heat struggled from the charity stripe for the second straight game, shooting 18 of 26 on free throws. The Heat only got to the free throw line 3 times in the second half, settling for countless outside jumpers.

Shane Battier and Ray Allen continued their cold streaks, combining to shoot 2 for 8, and 0 for 4 on 3-pointers. Miami's bench combined to shoot 6 of 18.

Game 3 is on Sunday night in Indianapolis, where the Pacers have gone 6-0 this postseason.

Complete Miami Heat coverage

The Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat played an intensely physical playoff series in the 2012 playoffs, and the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals was no different.

Both the Pacers and Heat were called for a number of hard fouls in Wednesday night's Game 1, a 103-102 Heat victory. LeBron James was pulled to the ground by his arm on a drive to the rim, while David West was on the receiving end of a groin shot from Norris Cole.

Pacers center Roy Hibbert broke the silence Thursday regarding the hard fouls, and he was not happy. He took a knee to the groin from Shane Battier on a play Wednesday night, and on Thursday he implied that Battier did so on purpose.

"That wasn't inadvertent," Hibbert tweeted Thursday afternoon. "Battier knew what he was doing."

On the play in question, Battier drove to the hoop in the second quarter and appeared to throw his right knee into Hibbert's midsection when he rose up to block Battier's path to the rim. Battier was called for an offensive foul on the play.

If Hibbert seems grumpy, it's not because he is tired. Two hours earlier, he tweeted, "Bout to take this good ole nap."

In last year's Eastern Conference semifinal series between the two teams, Udonis Haslem was issued a flagrant foul after a retaliatory foul on Indiana's Tyler Hansborough (for a hard foul on Dwyane Wade earlier), and that was only the second-biggest hard play controversy of the series (Dexter Pittman was suspended from Game 6 after fouling Lance Stephenson hard in Game 5).

Hibbert's comments about Battier are a clear reminder that these teams do not particularly care for each other, a fact that will likely make for continued intensity throughout the series.

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LeBron James did not just deliver a game-winning bucket in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night, he proved wrong a major assumption about his game popularized by Michael Jordan.

In February, Jordan told ESPN that James nearly always does the same thing when playing in isolation. When he goes right, James tends to drive. When he goes left, he shoots jump shots, which are a lower-percentage play than drives.

"So if I have to guard him," Jordan said, "I'm gonna push him left so nine times out of 10, he's gonna shoot a jump shot. If he goes right, he's going to the hole and I can't stop him."

But in the closing seconds on Wednesday, James took the ball on an inbounds pass, and blew by the Pacers' Paul George, driving to the rim and hitting a left-handed layup just before the buzzer.

ESPN.com asked James what he thought about Jordan's theory on Thursday. "That theory is wrong, I guess," James said.

The statistics back up James. ESPN Synergy Sports data showing that James shot 56.3 percent on 112 shots this season when going to the left on an isolation play, and "just" 48.5 percent on 97 shots when going right in iso.

James pointed out that he has been practicing left-handed plays since he started playing basketball.

"Frank Walker, my first basketball coach, taught me how to make a lefthanded layup," James said. "He wouldn't let me dribble the ball until I got the steps down to make a lefthanded layup consistently. We used to do it before practice every day. He always told me I'd be a much better player if I could make shots with both hands."

James' Game 1 performance (he scored 30 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, the ninth playoff triple double of his career) underscore why he was named a unanimous All-NBA selection Wednesday, in addition to his near-unanimous MVP selection. Even his supposed weaknesses are actually strengths.

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Sochi's anti-doping director says 2,500 drug tests will be conducted at next year's Winter Olympics, about 350 more than at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

Alexei Slautin, head of Sochi's anti-doping section, said in a statement Thursday on the Russian Sports Ministry's web site that another 600 tests are planned for the Paralympics.

The World Anti-Doping Agency says 2,149 tests were done at the previous winter games.

In all, the Sochi Games will have 13 doping control stations -- 10 at competition sites and three in the athletes villages.

The Miami Heat and rapper Pitbull have teamed up on a new version of his hit song "Feel This Moment" to get fans revved up for the team's 2013 playoff run.

Mr. 305 personally rewrote and remixed the song, which features vocals from Christina Aguilera and debuted in a video during the Heat's dramatic overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals Wednesday night.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage

"Miami Heat, we on fire, championship, we gonna ride," sings the Miami native, as he sports a white suit to support the White Hot Heat. "We don't talk about it, we be about it."

The video shows Heat fans throughout South Florida singing along with the words in their White Hot gear.

Friday Declared "White Hot Heat Day" for South Florida Students

“Pitbull is one of Miami’s native sons and we’re thrilled at the chance to collaborate with him on this creative project,” said Eric Woolworth, President of The HEAT Group’s Business Operations.

Game 2 is Friday.

Friday is designated “White Hot Heat Day” for all students, faculty and administrators for Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools.

Everyone is encouraged to wear white at school to show support for the Heat, who will take on the Indiana Pacers for Game 2 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami Steals Game 1 Over Pacers in Overtime

This is the fourth year that the Miami Heat will be hosting the event. Students and faculty participated in this event in 2006 and 2012, when the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship.

Viewers can send their White Hot photos on Twitter & Instagram by using the hashtag #NBC6, they may be used on air and in an online gallery on NBC6.com.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage
 

Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones had a breakout season in 2012, and he wants to parlay that season into a better contract, with the help of a little leverage.

The Miami Herald reported Monday that Jones did not attend a team conditioning session on Monday, and he will not attend Organized Team Activity (OTA) practices, which start Tuesday. These activities are not mandatory, but according to the Herald Jones has attended nearly every such activity up to this point.

Jones is still playing on his rookie contract, which will pay him $1.323 million next season. According to the Herald's sources, Jones plans to use his absence from OTAs to force the team to open contract talks with him.

Dolphins Sign Former FIU OL Rupert Bryan

Jones was selected in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft by Miami. In 2012 he started all 16 games for Miami, recording 4 interceptions (third-most among all NFL safeties), 74 solo tackles, and 9 pass breakups. Advanced statistics website Pro Football Focus named Jones to its 2nd Team All-NFL squad.

It is not unusual for players to express displeasure with their contracts through absences from OTAs. Last year, DE Cameron Wake skipped offseason workouts in order to compel the team to restructure his own contract. The gambit paid off, and Wake signed a 4-year contract extension with $20 million in guaranteed money last May.

Jones probably cannot expect to get a similarly lucrative deal, but the way the Dolphins have been throwing around money this offseason, it would not hurt to try.

Miami has spent over $90 million in guaranteed money on new contracts this offseason. Brian Hartline got a $30.775 million extension ($12.5 million of which is guaranteed). WR Mike Wallace got a $65 million deal (with an $11 million signing bonus), while LBs Dannell Ellerbe and Philip Wheeler got deals with $17 and $13 million in guaranteed money, respectively.

Jones would be one of the lowest-paid starters on the team under his current contract, even though he was one of the strongest performers on Miami's defense last season.

Complete Sports Coverage

Brian Urlacher will not play for another team in the 2013 season.

The sure-bet hall of fame middle linebacker released a post on the social media site WhoSay.com letting fans know that he will be ending his career as a Bear.

"After spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a desicion," he wrote.

Urlacher, 34, played 13 seasons for Chicago, earning numerous honors including Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000. Urlacher was selected to 8 Pro Bowls.

The defensive stalwart parted ways with the team shortly after the free agency period began. Bears General Manager Phil Emery offered Urlacher a deal that amounted to just over the veteran minimum to stay with the club, Urlacher declined the offer and moved on.

See the statement below.

A transgender mixed martial arts fighter is about to put her perfect record on the line in South Florida. And the battle isn’t just in the ring.

Those highly popular MMA cage fights are getting lots of attention this week from people who don’t normally attend or tune in. A woman who used to be a man has the green light from the state to participate against a female opponent Friday night in Coral Gables – and there’s no shortage of supporters and critics.

“I'm just another woman, just like any of them. I just come from a different background,“ Fallon Fox said.

Fox knows as the first transgender fighter in the MMA cage events she’s breaking barriers. She is in South Florida to step into the cage again Friday night at the University of Miami’s BankUnited Center, where she will face off against Allana Jones.

The reality for Fox is her life before as a man is difficult to escape.

“I expected there to be some pushback from some people,” Fox said.

Fox so far is undefeated at 5-0. At a bout in Coral Gables in March she made quick work of her opponent, knocking her out just 39 seconds after the bell rang.

“I don't feel I have any advantage,” Fox said. “I can't see what advantages I would have.”

But some people don’t see it that way, and a complaint was filed concerning how Fox got her MMA participant license with the Florida State Boxing Commission. When she applied in Florida she indicated that she was licensed in California, but she hadn’t been fully licensed there because her application was under a medical review, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation said. The agency ultimately dismissed the complaint, saying that Fox did not commit fraud or deceit when she secured her Florida license.

“I was pretty sure that in the end they were going to come to the conclusion that I deserved to be licensed and that I am just as female as any other competitor,” Fox said.

Experts say the boxing commission in essence is caught in a catch-22. While their lawyers have already determined that Fox can participate in the fight on Friday, the boxing commission also has another duty – its primary one – to make sure that no one gets hurt.

“I think it’s crazy. I think she's going to hurt another female,” said former professional fighter Mickey Demos.

He trains female and male athletes as the University of Miami boxing coach.

“She's basically a man with lower testosterone levels,” Demos said. “She built up her strength when she had higher testosterone levels as a youngster. She has a residual muscle base.“

Complete South Florida Sports Coverage

Amateur boxer Syeda Fahmin said, “Just because she was born as a man, physically she’s just different. She’s built differently – everything about her. If you look at her hands and my hands they're going to be different. Her shoulders are different. Her strength is different.”

But Fox calls the arguments against her similar to what was done to minority and gay athletes before.

“Now, it’s transsexuals in sports. I think they need to look at me as a person, just realize I have passion for my sport and I just want to do what everyone else is doing, and I love what I do,” she said.

One person who isn’t concerned is Fox’s opponent. Jones says Fox is the one who’s going to get knocked out.

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Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel walked back from comments he made about the Miami Heat over the weekend, telling local radio that the current version of the Heat is better than the team that won the NBA Finals last June.

"They're better this year than last year," Vogel said of the Heat to 790 The Ticket Monday. "They're not just another team."

Vogel referred to the Heat as "just the next team that's in our way" on Sunday, but was misquoted by reporters who told LeBron James that he called the Heat "just another team." James reacted quite strongly, telling reporters the Heat are a "great team," adding, "We're very confident. We'll be ready for them."

Heat-Pacers: War of Words Has Already Begun

Vogel pushed back against the notion that the Pacers are taking Miami lightly. "We have a great deal of respect for them," he said. "It was a quote taken out of context."

James seemed more calm about the situation on Monday, telling the Miami Herald, "We have respect for them as well. It's two really good teams."

The Pacers and Heat squared off three times during the regular season, with Indiana winning the first two meetings (in Indianapolis) before the Heat won a March home date by 14 points.

Complete Miami Heat Coverage

The two teams met in the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals, with Indiana taking a 2-1 series lead before the Heat closed out with three straight wins to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Last season, Vogel drew the ire of the Heat by accusing the Heat of excessive flopping (an accusation which drew him a $35,000 fine from the NBA).

Vogel did not shy away from expressing confidence in his team on Monday, though. "We're definitely confident," he told WQAM. "We've got a good basketball team."

The Eastern Conference Finals tips off Wednesday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.

Former Miami Dolphin Chad Johnson bonded out of jail Monday afternoon after a Broward judge had ordered him behind bars on a probation violation.

Johnson, 35, was ordered into Broward Sheriff's Office custody under $1,000 bond during a hearing Monday. Prosecutors had asked that he serve 60 days behind bars.

After spending the day in jail, the former NFL wide receiver blamed only himself for his predicament.

"Always Chad. It’s always my fault, OK?” he said.

Asked if he felt bad about it, Johnson replied, “Yeah, of course man, of course.”

A final hearing will be held June 3.

Last week, it was learned a warrant had been issued for Johnson's arrest for failing to report to his probation officer. During Monday's hearing, Johnson's attorney explained his no-shows were a result of miscommunication between the attorney and Johnson.

Chad Johnson Befriends Homeless Man in South Beach

Johnson also pleaded his case, calling it a misunderstanding. He said he has missed appointments with his probation officer, but pointed out he's been going to his counseling classes.

"I'm not sure how that got misconstrued but I wouldn't blatantly not show up," Johnson said. "But I was going, I was doing everything I was supposed to as far as my classes go."

Judge Kathleen McHugh said she was perplexed as to why Johnson hadn't finished his court-ordered counseling and still has seven classes left.

"At this point, from what I'm hearing so far, I don't think you're taking probation seriously, I don't," McHugh said.

Johnson was placed into handcuffs and booked into jail (booking photo below).

Johnson received a year of probation last September after pleading no contest to a domestic violence charge involving his former wife, reality TV star Evelyn Lozada.

Johnson was arrested in August for allegedly headbutting his then-wife, reality TV star Evelyn Lozada, in their Davie home.

According to Davie Police, Lozada found a receipt for condoms and confronted Johnson about it at dinner. The argument continued during their drive home, and when they arrived at their driveway, he allegedly head-butted her.

Johnson was cut by the Miami Dolphins the next day and Lozada later filed for divorce.

The confrontation came barely a month after Johnson married Lozada, who was on the reality TV show "Basketball Wives." Johnson had been battling for a spot on the Dolphins after a disappointing season with the New England Patriots in 2011.

As he walked out of jail Monday, Johnson did not rule out a potential return to football.

"I would hope out of 32 teams someone allows me to finish the right way," he said.

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History will have to wait at least one more year.

Orb, the Kentucky Derby champion who many hoped would become the first Triple Crown winner in 35 years, finished fourth in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, as 15-1 longshot Oxbow pulled off a surprise wire-to-wire win at Pimlico.

"It's so special," said Oxbow jockey Gary Stevens, who came out of retirement this year at age 50. "We were kind of flying under the radar after the Derby. Didn't get a lot of respect."

Oxbow trainer D. Wayne Lukas seemed to take pleasure from dashing Orb's Triple Crown hopes.

"I get paid to spoil dreams," Lukas said.

Orb's fate may have been sealed days before the race, when he drew the No. 1 post position along the rail -- only two horses have won the Preakness from that position over the last 63 years. Sure enough, Orb got boxed in against the rail by a pack of horses early in the race, and could never find room to break free.

Meanwhile, Oxbow pulled ahead of the pack and never relinquished the lead.

"When I hit the half-mile pole, I just said, 'Are you kidding me, is this happening?'" said Stevens, who worked for NBC as a racing analyst during his seven-year retirement.

Oxbow finished the 1 3/16th-mile race in 1:57.54. Itsmyluckyday finished second, Mylute finished third and Orb, the 3-5 favorite, finished fourth.

But nobody ever gave Oxbow a serious threat.

It's a landmark win for Lukas: Oxbow's Preakness victory marks the trainer's 14th Triple Crown win, the most ever. He's won the Preakness six times, and the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont four times each. He passed James Fitzsimmons, who has won 13 Triple Crown races.

Jockey Gary Stevens has now notched three wins apiece at the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont over his career.

Oxbow's win means the Triple Crown drought continues.

In the lead-up to the Preakness, Orb seemed like a prime candidate to end that drought, and bettors made him a heavy favorite. His breathtaking late push in the Kentucky Derby had people believing: He emerged from the back of the pack down the stretch, blew past a large group of horses and pulled away from the pack for a dominant win. Combined with a pedigree to make race fans drool -- his blood lines includes two Triple Crown winners, Seattle Slew (1977) and Secretariat (1973) -- many thought the three-year-old colt would take a place among the horse-racing elite.

Instead, he'll become another in a long line of almosts and what-ifs. Only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, and none since Affirmed in 1978.

Orb wasn't the only one trying to make history on Saturday who came up short in Baltimore.

Rosie Napravnik, the jockey riding Mylute, hoped to become the first female jockey to win the race. Instead Mylute finished in third place.

Kevin Krigger, the jockey riding Goldencents, hoped to become the first African-American jockey to win the race since 1898. He too came up short as Goldencents finished in fifth place.

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade granted a South Florida teen's wish and showed up at her senior prom on Friday.

Nicole Muxo said that she was called up to the dance floor, where she was told that Wade was on the phone.

“So I talked to him on the phone, and as I was talking to him the doors opened and he walked out and I was completely shocked, I had no idea that he was going to even call," said Muxo, who attends Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School in West Kendall. "So I was super-excited, everyone else was super-excited in there.”

Photos show Wade taking pics with the teen and others before the prom at the La Jolla Ballroom in Coral Gables. He also was snapped at the dance.

Muxo said Wade brought her flowers and then they danced.

Wade tweeted about the prom and shared photos on Twitter.

"I had a blast at Prom w @nicole_muxo... Never be 2 scared to ask.. They might just say… " Wade Tweeted.

Muxo thanked the NBA player for coming by.

"It meant a lot to me. It made my dreams come true," she said.

Initially Wade had said he wasn't aware of the YouTube video, in which Muxo makes her pitch to the NBA superstar while wearing a No 3. Wade jersey. Kanye West's "The Glory" plays in the background.

WATCH the YouTube video here.

"My senior prom is coming up, and I have everything set for a perfect night except for one thing: a perfect date," she says.

In the video she called Wade her favorite basketball player and used signs and "Prom?" written on basketballs to ask Wade to the big event.

Muxo had told NBC 6 South Florida she asked out Wade because he's her favorite player and because he's a positive role model for a lot of people.

It wasn't the first time she asked him out.

"Back when I met him last year, I asked him to Homecoming, but the season was about to start, and he had practice, so he couldn’t make it, so I thought, why not take another shot and ask him to prom?” she said.

All eyes will be on Orb Saturday afternoon when the Kentucky Derby champion takes his post at the Preakness Stakes, aiming to win the second leg of the elusive Triple Crown.

The colt's resounding victory at the Derby, marked by a surge of power in the final stretch, has fueled hopes for the first Triple Crown triumph since 1978, when Affirmed won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

Orb, the even-money favorite at Pimlico, will either dash those hopes or move one step closer to the coveted crown.

For fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown in decades, there are plenty of reasons for optimism. In the Derby, on May 4, Orb handily beat five of the eight horses he will take on in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes. Since then, his performance in training has earned stellar reviews.

Hall of Fame trainer Claude R. "Shug" McGaughey called Orb's workout at Belmont earlier this week "breathtaking," "spectacular" and even better than his performance leading up to the Derby, according to the Associated Press. The colt ran four furlongs in 47.18 seconds and five furlongs in 59.54.

But the widespread optimism was dampened just days later when Orb drew the rail, or No. 1 post—a position that has launched only two Preakness victors since 1950. Running from that position, other horses could crowd Orb against the rail, making it difficult for Orb to find room to maneuver to the head of the pack.

"Obviously, if I was going to pick it out, I wouldn't have picked the 1," McGaughey told the AP when the positions were drawn. "But with only nine horse in there to run a mile and three-sixteenths, with a rider like Joel (Rosario), he's going to figure out what to do. He'll have him in the right spot."

The shorter race could also favor some of the horses that faded at the end of the mile-and-a-quarter Derby. Goldencents—partially owned by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino— was one of the favorites heading into the Kentucky Derby, but finished 17th in a field of 19 horses. That performance hasn't deterred bettors from putting their money on the colt in the Preakness. Heading into the race he's among the four favorites, with 8-1 morning line odds.

Mylute, who has 5-1 odds after placing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, is another Preakness favorite. The horse will be ridden by rising star Rosie Napravnik, who will be the third female jockey ever to compete in the Preakness Stakes. She heads into the weekend with more wins than any other jockey posting for the race, besides Joel Rosario, who will be riding Orb.

Departing, who skipped the Derby, could also pose a threat to the even-money favorite. The horse arrives at Pimlico with four wins this year, including a big victory two weeks ago at the Illinois Derby, where he managed to pull ahead of the pack and finish by 3 1/4 lengths.

Govenor Charlie, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, and Titletown Five, co-owned by Packers Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Willie Davis, will also make their Triple Crown debuts in the second leg of the contest.

Govenor Charlie, who descends from the 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet, has 12-1 odds, while Titletown Five is a much longer shot. Despite his 30-1 odds, Titletown Five's trainer D. Wayne Lukas still has a decent chance to taste victory. The Hall of Fame trainer has two other horses in the race— Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

The $1 million race begins at 6:20 p.m. and will be streamed live on NBC Live Extra beginning at 4:30 p.m.

If Orb wins, he'll race for the Triple Crown at Belmont on June 8. Twenty-two horses have won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, but only 11 have won all three.