One of the most overused phrases in pro sports is "it is what it is." Among cliche speak, it’s popular with players, coaches and management across all manners of sport. Basically, it’s an expression that is used to characterize a frustrating or challenging situation that a person believes cannot be changed and must just be accepted.
This is how Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo feels about the new wrinkle added to this year’s NBA playoff format, the play-in games. He doesn’t like the concept one bit, but accepts that this is the way it is and that the Hornets must deal with the new process.