Legendary basketball writer Bob Ryan called out Jeff Pearlman, author of “Showtime,” a book about the 1980s Lakers, arguing the portrayal of Jerry West in the HBO series “Winning Time” inspired by the book is “reprehensible” and “borderline criminal”.

As Barrett Sports Media detailed, Ryan, who began covering the Celtics in 1969 for the Boston Globe and received the Curt Gowdy Award from the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, had a tiff with Jeff Pearlman primarily over issues with West, who is portrayed in the TV series as hard-headed and verbally abusive.

Ryan went on Colin Cowherd’s podcast earlier in April, and eviscerated the show.

“I will need a barf bucket before it’s over,” Ryan said. “I think the only thing that’s true that they based it on was that it’s about the Lakers. About everything else is fantasy.

“If I were Jerry West, I would say call my lawyers. I don’t know what Jerry West ever did to (series director) Adam McKay to be portrayed in such an unflattering light, an unrealistic light, an embarrassing light, and that’s just for openers.”

Pearlman was unhappy with the characterization, which Ryan has not been alone in voicing. Arn Tellem, vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons and former NBA super-agent, slammed the depiction of West in the Hollywood Reporter last month.

“Love @globebobryan, but a bit over these takes,” Pearlman tweeted Friday. “A. It’s NOT a documentary; B. I interviewed 350 people for ‘Showtime,’ and ‘Winning Time’ creators were incredibly detailed, precise, honoring of the source material.”

Pearlman said the creative liberties taken in “Showtime” are “no different” from films like “42,” “Remember the Titans,” “We Are Marshall” and “Rudy.”

“Zero percent different,” Pearlman tweeted. “It’s not dishonoring anyone. A-n-y-o-n-e. Truth be told, the show is reminding people of Showtime’s greatness, and evoking rich memories of a glorious time in NBA history. Are the characters exact fits? No. They’re (wait for it) actors using (wait for it) scripts written by (wait for it) writers. And the writing is insanely sharp, smart, cool. When I saw the saga of Jack McKinney on screen, I nearly wept tears of joy.

“When I see Mark Landsberger, Jim Chones, Ron Boone, etc—same. So much of this material had turned history’s ghost. So, no, it’s not a documentary. Yes, leaps and flourishes are taken. But the show is f–king brilliant, and I’m a VERY proud author.”

Ryan was not buying it.

“Jeff, I have said that though it is presented as a ‘dramatization,’ gullible people will still think it’s based on fact,” he tweeted. “The Jerry West portrayal is reprehensible and borderline criminal. His three words to Adam McKay should be ‘See my lawyer.’”

Pearlman disagreed with the disagreement.

“To be clear, HUGE @globeBobRyan admirer. Huge,” the author tweeted. “But I’d also say the Jerry West sainthood movement (especially after ep 1) is a tad much. West literally hired a PI to tail Norm Nixon around LA after (wrongly) suspecting he was a coke addict. West also made some players’ lives torturous with the intensity, the verbal beatdowns. The other day a longtime Laker employee called me and said, ‘I recognize the Jerry on TV more than the one being described by defenders.’ And this is NOT to say Jerry West isn’t a great man. He is.

“I’ve never had a bad Interaction. I think he’s a hoop genius; I hated talk of changing the logo from West to Kobe. Jerry West is rightly beloved by many. And, yeah, Jason Clarke’s West is certainly (at times) West on speed. But it’s also a beautiful portrayal of a tortured, haunted man.”

Pearlman concluded by repeating that other sports TV series and films have taken creative liberties, and that “Winning Time” has more authenticity than “99 percent” of its counterparts and praised McKay, showrunner Max Borenstein and others.