Veteran guard Mark Barroca hopes younger Magnolia teammates show wares in PBA Finals clash with TNT

Seasoned playmaker Mark Barroca shared some veteran advice with his younger Magnolia teammates as they fight for the title against the favored TNT Tropang Giga — and that's the championship round is a whole different level.

Barroca is one of only eight holdovers from the last Magnolia team that won a title in the 2018 Governors' Cup, where they closed Alaska out in six games in the finals. He was also named the Finals MVP of the series.

Since then, Magnolia has seen some turnover in their roster, from the retirement of veterans like PJ Simon and Marc Pingris, to one of the team's biggest moves in picking up Calvin Abueva in a trade earlier this year.

They have also acquired some younger players such as 2020 draft pick Aris Dionisio and rookies Jerrick Ahanmisi and Loren Brill.

And against top seed TNT, the 35-year-old Barroca knows they'll need everyone to give each other a much-needed boost

"We talked about this the other day and I told them that the championship round is on a different level," Barroca shared on the eve of the PBA Finals opener.

"Semis are already hard but the finals are much harder. There would be times where we can't sleep because there would be bad games along the way. I told these to the guys, especially Jio [Jalalon]."

Barroca, who had been pivotal in the franchise's previous championship runs, said they should learn and not dwell on their mistakes, while also stressing that confidence would be the key.

"These are based on my experience. They should accept all the setbacks because finals are really different," he added.

"They should be focused on making quick adjustments. And win or lose, their confidence should always be present. They should always move forward."

—JMB, GMA News