MANILA, Philippines – It took Terrence Romeo seven seasons and three teams before making his first trip to the finals of the Philippine Basketball Association.

He couldn't get there with GlobalPort, the team that took him as the fifth overall pick in the 2013 PBA Rookie Draft, and he couldn't get there with Talk 'N Text, the team that grabbed him in a blockbuster trade last year.

In just his first conference with San Miguel Beer, however, Romeo finally got his breakthrough. The veteran guard is the third-leading scorer for the Beermen, who are seeking a fifth consecutive PBA All-Filipino championship.

Standing in San Miguel's way is a familiar foe: the Magnolia Hotshots, the team they beat last year to clinch an All-Filipino four-peat.

"Excited ako makapag-laro sa finals," said Romeo on Monday, during a press conference. "Same naman ang basketball, so kailangan lang namin ibigay 'yung best namin."

• READ: Magnolia silences doubters by dragging its way to finals

While it took him a while to make it to the finals, Romeo said he did not feel impatient or frustrated.

"Para sa akin kasi, lahat naman ng nangyayari sa buhay ng tao, may plan si God kung bakit nangyayari 'yun eh," said the guard, who is averaging 15.71 points per game for San Miguel in the Philippine Cup.

"Itong nangyari na 'to, siguro in-allow lang ni God na mapunta ako sa San Miguel, ayun nga, sa malakas na team," Romeo added. "Alam naman natin na before pa ako dumating, sila na 'yung defending champion. So kailangan ko lang is gawin 'yung role ko."

Romeo was the fulcrum of the offense in GlobalPort, and also carried a big scoring load when he was in Talk 'N Text. He hasn't had to do that in a loaded San Miguel team, where five other players are also averaging double-digits in scoring. Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo is leading them, with 22.09 points and 12.45 rebounds per game.

Romeo also missed a bunch of games due to an ankle sprain, and is averaging just over 21 minutes per contest. But he has no complaints about the role that he has in San Miguel.

"Kailangan ko lang maging professional," said Romeo. "Kung ano man 'yung role na binigay sa akin, kailangan gawin ko yung best ko para magampanan 'yun."

He intends to do just that in the finals against Magnolia, who are aching not just to avenge their loss from last year's finals, but also to win a second straight title after ruling the Governors' Cup last December.

"Although same basketball lang siya, pero iba kasi -- nasa finals ka, maraming crowd, tapos ayun, naglalaban kayo," said Romeo. "Kaunti na lang makukuha niyo na 'yung goal niyo."

"So lahat ng sacrifices na ginawa niyo, 'yun na 'yung time na ibigay 'yung best talaga. Para sa akin, kung ano 'yung mga natutunan mo noong simula bata ka, naglalaro ka, 'yun na 'yung best time para ipakita yun," he added.

Game 1 of the best-of-7 series is on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.