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I should probably call it the Big Four as Rajon Rondo proved to be as important as any of the Celtics’ future Hall of Famers (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen). Perhaps the Big Five if the Jermaine O’Neal to the C’s rumors are true. Whatever number of big players the Celtics have next year, they will have sharpshooter Ray Allen there for two more years after he signed a $20 million deal. He will turn 35 later this month so the odds that he can match the 16.3 points he averaged last year aren’t great. That said, he is a great source for three-pointers and free-throw percentage and a good source for points and field goal percentage. He offers little in the rebounds and assists category. A lot of teams are gearing up in the East, and it appears Boston will remain in the hunt.

Hopefully you’re going deep into your fantasy playoffs.  If you are there are a few situations around the league to keep your eye on.

The Bad Teams
If you have any Golden State Warriors players on your fantasy team, you know where I’m going with this.  Don Nelson is making it a point to play some of his younger players.  Corey Maggette, Andris Biedrins, and Jamal Crawford have been given healthy nights off in order to try his younger players.  If you’re in a daily league you can make adjustments, but if you’re in a weekly league it’s almost impossible to play any Golden State players.

The Toronto Raptors could put Shawn Marion in that category if they don’t feel The Matrix is in their long-term plans.  He’s a free agent after this season.  The Raptors may also shut down Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon, who have battled through minor injuries this year.   They both played in the Olympics for their respective countries and could use a little R & R.

Caron Butler of the Washington Wizards could be a shutdown candidate.  He’s dealing with a hamstring injury now, and he could easily be given the last week off.

The Good Teams
This concern isn’t just limited to the bad teams though.  Once the good teams are locked into their seed, they can start to rest up before the playoffs.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are a likely candidate.  They maintain a solid lead over Boston and Orlando, and they could start reducing the minutes of LeBron James, Mo Williams, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  If Boston or Orlando can get some separation from the other, both teams could rest some of their stars.  Kevin Garnett is working to get his legs under him so he should be fine, but Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo could see reduced workloads.  Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Rashard Lewis  could experience that for the Magic.

The Los Angeles Lakers are running away with the West and have a deep bench.  Kobe Bryant, Paul Gasol, and Lamar Odom could see a reduction of minutes.  With Kobe essentially out of the MVP race, that won’t be a factor in keeping him in the lineup.  Two through eight in the West is pretty tight so those teams likely won’t be able to rest up.

Keep these things in mind as you set your lineup for your championship run.